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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · Maryland
Cutoff Channel
39.18°N · 76.43°W · Channel · Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 463 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cutoff Channel 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
69Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Cobia is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.
Source: Maryland DNR · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Cutoff Channel
- Depth
- 20-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
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 Cutoff Channel
Cutoff Channel is a channel in Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD, Maryland. Depth is 20-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and sheepshead. It is peak season now for spot, scup, sheepshead and red drum, and shoulder season for weakfish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- 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
- Brewerton Channel72
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 72
- Scup 69
- Sheepshead 67
12 kt NEH 5:07 AM · 1.7 ftL 11:55 AM · 0.8 ft
- North Point67
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Spot 66
- Scup 64
12 kt NEH 5:07 AM · 1.7 ftL 11:55 AM · 0.8 ft
- Sedgy Point67
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Spot 66
- Scup 64
12 kt NEH 5:07 AM · 1.7 ftL 11:55 AM · 0.8 ft
- North Shoal66
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 66
- Bluefish 64
- Little tunny 64
12 kt NEH 5:07 AM · 1.7 ftL 11:55 AM · 0.8 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 Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.