# Yorktown/Gloucester Croaker?



## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

It appears from another thread that the croaker are starting to bite, so I want plan a trip down to the Yorktown/Gloucester area to fish them, but I may not be able to get down there until this weekend or maybe even the next.

First question is, how long does the MAD croaker bite usually last? A week? Two weeks? Longer? And is an evening high tide the best time to fish for croaker?

Second, I am not familiar with the Yorktown and Gloucester areas. It looks like there’s a variety of piers and beaches to fish from…Croaker Landing (a bit farther west), the Yorktown beaches and piers on either side of route 17, and the beach and pier in Gloucester. What’s the best bet? 

Thanks for your help. I really want to catch a cooler full!


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## earl of DC (Jul 7, 2007)

at gloucester  always go near hi tide in the evening/early morning on the rt side.


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## Sean (Nov 22, 2010)

been watching the same guy pull up 30 a night on the left side no joke. the right side is supposed to be the spot for flounder. i live right up the street i check it out almost every night.


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## pierfisher9678 (Jun 12, 2009)

any flounder biting there yet?


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks so much for the replies. I am thinking about giving it a shot Thursday night (late...probably won't make it there until 10 or 11pm). Low tide is 6:44pm and high tide is 1:09am. How long after low tide does the water really start to move in in that area? Also, with coming in so late at night, I'm assuming it will be difficult for me to procure some frozen squid or bloodworms (nothing like that is stocked in the Richmond area). Will I do OK on fishbites? If not, what's the next best thing? Frozen, uncooked shrimp? Gulp?

Sean - about how far down the pier did you see the guy hauling in all those croaker? I don't want to go too far down. Sorry for all the questions...


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

Also...how heavy a sinker for the area? thx


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## Aaron T (May 9, 2000)

the current usually runs pretty strong and constant. i was there @ 6:30 last night and it was already running. 2 oz will usually be enough to hold. It was pretty slow at that time last night so they must be waiting for more water


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## cockroachjr. (Jul 18, 2005)

There is a tackle shop in Sandston near the airport called Pope's Tackle (on Williamsburg Rd). I'm not sure of the hours but they have squid and jumbo bloodworms. For weight I think 1-2 oz is okay--- more depending on if the current is ripping or if you want to reach the channel.


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

OK…I think what I’ll do is set up a tight line with a top and bottom rig using #4 wide gap hooks. If I can get the frozen squid, I will use that. If not, I will try using Fishbites bloodworms, and maybe combine that with some Gulp squid on the same hook. Sounds like it may not be a bad idea to try for flounder as well. So maybe I’ll set up a #1/0 hook on the bottom with a Gulp floating minnow and squid (flounder) along with a #4 or #6 hook on top with the bloodworm/squid (croaker). I have several rods I can make work, but a couple of them will be rather light (10 & 15# test), which sounds to be fine for croaker and flounder, but could end up being disappointing if I hook up with an unexpected monster and get spooled. Memorable, though. 

Should I cast away from the pier, or drop within 10 yards? Any use in messing with any other artificials like bucktails while I’m there?


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## Aaron T (May 9, 2000)

some of the convenience stores near the pier will carry frozen squid also. There is usually someone jigging around but I have not heard of any flounder there yet.


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

I found some at Greentop. I didn't realize they carried it. And of course I spent more $$ than I should have there. Always happens. You think with fishing and hunting that you'll eventually start to even out and surpass the $$ you spend on gear with the meat from your catches/kills. Lies! All lies!!


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

The hooks are snelled and the rods are ready. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to go all the way to Gloucester from Richmond. Croaker Landing is much closer and it was I had originally had in mind. Gloucester Point is a a lot farther away than I originally thought. Decisions, decisions...


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## earl of DC (Jul 7, 2007)

Come on man! !! If i can drive from md, than you can drive from richmond! !!


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

earl of DC said:


> Come on man! !! If i can drive from md, than you can drive from richmond! !!


TRUE!! But maybe they've moved up from Gloucester and are also at Croaker Landing by now. So who knows what the "right spot" and "right time" will be??!! 

I feel 99% certain I will be at Gloucester Point tonight. I expect to see YOU there. I'll be easy to identify. Newbie with all spinning rods, including a 9' surf (sure to get laughs!) and two freshwater! Who knows...I may even use my daughter's radio flyer to cart the cooler around in! LOL!!


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## i4joymy (Aug 31, 2007)

Did you guys have any luck. Thinking about hitting Gloucester or Yorktown.


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## Blloyd (Oct 26, 2004)

Not sure where you are in Richmond, but Tackle Express on Midlothian Tpk has frozen squid, bloodworms etc... Prices on bloodworms and fishbites are a tad bit cheaper than what you may find near the piers. How did last night go?


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## dirtyhandslopez (Nov 17, 2006)

cockroachjr. said:


> There is a tackle shop in Sandston near the airport called Pope's Tackle (on Williamsburg Rd). I'm not sure of the hours but they have squid and jumbo bloodworms. For weight I think 1-2 oz is okay--- more depending on if the current is ripping or if you want to reach the channel.


I second Popes, good bait, good people and it's on the way to the beach from Richmond.


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

Went out Thursday night to Gloucester Point Pier with no luck. Caught a couple of crabs. Got there around 8:30 and fished until about 12:45. Low tide was 6:30ish and high was about 1:10 a.m. Nobody was catching much of anything, and there were about 20 there when I was there. I think 2 croaker were caught...that I know of. Someone caught a smallish stingray and said the fight was good. The guy filleted him alive which kinda pissed me off though. I've heard sporadic reports of croaker being hot, so I guess luck has a lot to do with it (right place, right time).


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## earl of DC (Jul 7, 2007)

tough luck !!!
like i said previous that this pier is to be fished on incoming tide.


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## Sean (Nov 22, 2010)

im cursed on that pier, i myself cant manage to catch anything there. but the weight varies on how hard the current is going so test out the highest i would go is 4 and the lowest is 2. squid is the bait of choice and the far left and the right are both good sides to fish. if you find yourself in the middle of the pier facing out toward the bay dont cast too far theres a cable that youll snag everytime. I know that when the waters warm up people love to drag for flounder under the lights with egg sinkers and fluke rigs at the front of the pier. good luck at the point like i said i cant catch a damn thing there so i dont mind sharing. someone tell about me some rockfish.


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

earl of DC said:


> tough luck !!!
> like i said previous that this pier is to be fished on incoming tide.


Haha I know that's why I fished it on the incoming tide!


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## Out Sick (May 27, 2006)

7.62 said:


> Haha I know that's why I fished it on the incoming tide!


Next time get there a couple hours before high tide, fish through slack tide and the next couple hours of the outgoing. Its very shallow there, the more water, the better.


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## earl of DC (Jul 7, 2007)

Out Sick said:


> Next time get there a couple hours before high tide, fish through slack tide and the next couple hours of the outgoing. Its very shallow there, the more water, the better.


xcellent point !!!


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## 7.62 (Apr 15, 2011)

I was there well before high tide, and the water had been really slack for awhile before high tide, so I thought that if they weren't there by then, they weren't coming. I'll fish a couple of hours past high tide next time. Tell me...when you're fishing with various bottom rigs and nothing is biting, what do you do to pass the time? Carolina rig a minnow and hope for a bite from flounder? I can sit in the woods for hours motionless waiting for a deer to come by. But waiting for a bite on a bottom rig gets me awful fidgety.


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## Aaron T (May 9, 2000)

you can always try jigging around the pilings. If you have space, throw some lures out, cant hurt as long as you are not tangling other peoples lines.


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