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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 586 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.1 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 8 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
80Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
29Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: 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 yesterday
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 spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
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.
- Scup
- Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Monday Creek77
Gut · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 77
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Scup 67
7 kt EH 6:27 AM · 2.4 ftL 12:32 PM · 1.4 ft
- Thorofare77
Channel · 3.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 77
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Scup 68
7 kt EH 6:56 AM · 2.2 ftL 12:50 PM · 0.7 ft
- Tue Point71
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Scup 63
- Little tunny 61
7 kt EH 6:41 AM · 2.2 ftL 12:38 PM · 0.7 ft
- Bush Point70
Cape · 3.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Scup 61
- Atlantic croaker 58
7 kt EH 6:27 AM · 2.4 ftL 12:32 PM · 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.