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CobiaShoulder seasonBay · Maryland
Balls Creek
38.72°N · 76.28°W · Bay · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 421 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-1 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Balls Creek 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 · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
58Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
54Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
55Season: 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 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
Balls Creek
- Depth
- 3-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Balls Creek
Balls Creek is a bay in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
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 summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, weakfish and black sea bass. 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
- River Cove67
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Scup 64
- Red drum 60
15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 AM · 1.0 ft
- Muddy Cove67
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Scup 64
- Red drum 56
15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 AM · 1.0 ft
- Old Orchard Point62
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 62
- Scup 59
- Little tunny 56
15 kt NEH 1:58 AM · 2.3 ftL 9:04 AM · 1.1 ft
- Turkey Neck Point62
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 62
- Scup 59
- Little tunny 56
15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 AM · 1.0 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.