Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Gut · Maryland

Hallbrooks Gut

38.11°N · 75.32°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fenwick Island DE to Chincoteague VA out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia

55/100Good
Now
303 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score30Fair
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward S
Wind16 kn NEgusts 34 · steady
Sea stateRough5.6 ft · 8 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast61% chance of rain
Water69°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 · Sync unavailable, last verified Sep 13, 2026

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

Hallbrooks Gut

Depth
Up to 2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Hallbrooks Gut

Hallbrooks Gut is a gut in Coastal waters from Fenwick Island DE to Chincoteague VA out 20 NM, Maryland. Depth is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic bluefin tuna, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, black sea bass, bluefish and king mackerel. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Martin Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    16 kt NEL 4:51 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:49 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Brockatonorton Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    16 kt NEL 4:51 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:49 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Muddy Thorofare

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    16 kt NEL 4:51 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:49 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Bridge Creek

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    16 kt NEL 4:51 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:49 PM · 0.9 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.