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CobiaShoulder seasonBay · Maryland
Madison Bay
38.52°N · 76.22°W · Bay · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 397 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.9 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Madison Bay 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
14Tide: Low slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
52Wind: 14 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 74°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
56Season: 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
Madison Bay
- Depth
- 5-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Madison Bay
Madison Bay is a bay in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth is 5-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, weakfish, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August 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.
- 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.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Johns Point57
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 57
- Scup 51
- Bluefish 49
14 kt ENEL 7:23 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ft
- Snake Point57
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 57
- Scup 51
- Bluefish 49
14 kt ENEL 7:23 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ft
- Cedar Point57
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 57
- Scup 51
- Bluefish 49
14 kt ENEL 7:23 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ft
- Casson Point54
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 54
- Spot 49
- Scup 48
14 kt ENEL 7:23 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:48 AM · 2.1 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.