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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 5012 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2-4 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy Point scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Sunday, Sep 27 · 12 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
88Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
76Wind: 11 kt NWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
37Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Atlantic croaker is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Sandy Point
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Sandy Point
Sandy Point is a cape in York River, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and black sea bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Thorofare71
Channel · 3.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Red drum 68
- Spanish mackerel 64
6 kt EL 12:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:16 PM · 2.5 ft
- Monday Creek66
Gut · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 66
- Red drum 61
- Sheepshead 58
6 kt EH 6:47 PM · 2.7 ftL 1:13 AM · 1.2 ft
- Tue Point66
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Spanish mackerel 63
- Spot 63
6 kt EH 7:01 PM · 2.5 ftL 1:19 AM · 0.6 ft
- Bush Point59
Cape · 3.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 59
- Little tunny 57
- Spanish mackerel 54
6 kt EH 6:47 PM · 2.7 ftL 1:13 AM · 1.2 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with VMRC before you keep a fish.