Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

Cators Cove

38.50°N · 76.31°W · Bay · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

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Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia

77/100Great
Now
371 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
High1.4 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score37Fair
Tide1.4 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind16 kn ENEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 3 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast62% chance of rain
Water77°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Cobia season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Cobia in Maryland

Spot profile

Cators Cove

Depth
1-3 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 Cators Cove

Cators Cove is a bay in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth is 1-3 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 Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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

  • Oyster Cove

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 63
    • Atlantic croaker 53

    16 kt ENEL 7:20 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:40 AM · 2.0 ft

  • Hooper Cove

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 63
    • Atlantic croaker 53

    16 kt ENEL 7:20 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:40 AM · 2.0 ft

  • Hooper Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Scup 58
    • Little tunny 52

    16 kt ENEL 7:20 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:40 AM · 2.0 ft

  • Holland Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Scup 58
    • Little tunny 52

    16 kt ENEL 7:20 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:40 AM · 2.0 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.