Croaker regulations
Virginia · Curated reference from cited public sources · listings, not permission to fish or retain a catch · This selected Virginia saltwater reference subset is not a complete rulebook.
SPECIES LINKS
FIELD GUIDE
Micropogonias undulatus
speciesBASICA sciaenid closely related to black drum, spot, and red drum, commonly found in sounds and estuaries from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico.
HABITAT
Sounds and estuaries; young enter the Chesapeake Bay from August and move into low-salinity creeks.
SIZE
full-grown 18–20 in and 4–5 lb
TEXT CONDENSED FROM WIKIPEDIA, AVAILABLE UNDER CC BY-SA 4.0
Croaker identification is educational; species identification does not establish legal applicability for Virginia.
- LAST LISTED/REFERENCE LIMITS
- 50 per person; additional 50 live bait per customer capacity on for-hire or charter vessels
- APPLICABILITY
- No minimum size or closed season is listed on the VMRC recreational page.
- SOURCE AUTHORITY
- VMRC Virginia's Recreational Fishing Regulations, Regulation 4 VAC 20-1370-10 et seq. (Croaker)
UPDATED April 1, 2026 · CHECKED Sep 10, 2026, 12:00 PM UTC · EFFECTIVE YEAR 2026
VMRC recreational saltwater fishing rules ↗The VMRC page is an informational summary; the applicable state regulations are authoritative.
LAUNCH SITES
Curated launch sites in Virginia (1)
This reference does not grant permission to fish or retain a catch. Location, method, vessel, species identification, and emergency closures can change what applies. Verify the applicable official rules.