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CobiaShoulder seasonBar · Maryland
North Shoal
38.98°N · 76.43°W · Bar · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 392 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when North Shoal 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
45Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
42Wind: 15 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
41Season: 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 today
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
North Shoal
- Depth
- 4-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
- 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 North Shoal
North Shoal is a bar in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for scup, spot, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Whitehall Creek69
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 69
- Spot 69
- Red drum 57
15 kt ENEL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:24 AM · 1.6 ft
- Goose Pond69
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 69
- Spot 69
- Spanish mackerel 57
15 kt ENEL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:24 AM · 1.6 ft
- Whitehall Bay69
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 69
- Spot 69
- Spanish mackerel 57
15 kt ENEL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:24 AM · 1.6 ft
- Whitehall Flats64
Flat · 0.9 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 64
- Spot 63
- Red drum 58
15 kt ENEL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:24 AM · 1.6 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.