Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Sandy Point

37.26°N · 76.40°W · Cape · York River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Black sea bass

74/100Great
Now
4612 PM EDT
Best window
2-11 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Low0.8 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.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score46Good
Tide0.8 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward ENE
Wind8 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherOvercast92% cloud
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Virginia

Spot profile

Sandy Point

Depth
2-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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, bluefish, black sea bass and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Red drum 62
    • Summer flounder 59

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

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Red drum 60
    • Summer flounder 59

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

  • Tue Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Little tunny 58
    • Spanish mackerel 56

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

  • Bush Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    58
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 58
    • Little tunny 57
    • Spanish mackerel 54

    8 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.