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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · Maryland
West Channel
39.28°N · 76.58°W · Channel · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 364 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West Channel 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
22Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 8 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
40Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
West Channel
- Depth
- 15-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- 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 Channel
West Channel is a channel in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth is 15-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and scup. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, weakfish and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August. Scup peak from June 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- East Channel73
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Scup 61
8 kt NL 10:43 AM · 0.9 ftH 3:25 PM · 1.2 ft
- Winans Cove72
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 72
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Scup 61
8 kt NL 10:38 AM · 0.8 ftH 3:21 PM · 1.2 ft
- Locust Point67
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Atlantic croaker 57
- Scup 56
8 kt NL 10:43 AM · 0.9 ftH 3:25 PM · 1.2 ft
- Whetstone Point67
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Atlantic croaker 57
- Scup 56
8 kt NL 10:38 AM · 0.8 ftH 3:21 PM · 1.2 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.