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CobiaShoulder seasonBay · Maryland
West River
38.86°N · 76.50°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 569 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West River 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
77Wind: 12 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
57Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
West River
- Depth
- 10-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 West River
West River is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, weakfish and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.
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
- Thomas Point73
Cape · 3.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Little tunny 71
- Scup 67
11 kt EH 2:17 AM · 1.5 ftL 9:08 AM · 0.8 ft
- Saunders Point70
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Little tunny 69
- Red drum 64
11 kt EH 2:06 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:02 AM · 0.8 ft
- Horseshoe Point67
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Little tunny 65
- Red drum 61
12 kt EH 2:34 AM · 1.5 ftL 9:45 AM · 0.8 ft
- Curtis Point66
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 66
- Little tunny 64
- Red drum 61
12 kt EH 2:34 AM · 1.5 ftL 9:45 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.