Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Sandy Point

37.26°N · 76.40°W · Cape · York River

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
592 PM EDT
Best window
2-11 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding1.3 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Oct 1 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score35Fair
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward ENE
Wind3 kn NWgusts 6 · steady
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy70% cloud
Water71°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Virginia

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 spot, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, bluefish and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Monday Creek

    Gut · 1.2 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Red drum 70
    • Summer flounder 67

    7 kt NEH 5:58 PM · 2.6 ftL 12:32 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    72
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 72
    • Red drum 67
    • Summer flounder 66

    7 kt NEH 6:27 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:50 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Tue Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    7 kt NEH 6:12 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:38 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Bush Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    7 kt NEH 5:58 PM · 2.6 ftL 12:32 AM · 1.4 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.