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CobiaShoulder seasonGut · Maryland
Merlin Gut
37.97°N · 76.02°W · Gut · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 3611 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Merlin Gut 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
34Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
59Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 69°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Merlin Gut
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftNearest water
- 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 Merlin Gut
Merlin Gut is a gut in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for scup, spot, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, striped bass and weakfish. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Rhodes Point Gut70
Gut · 0.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Scup 67
- Atlantic croaker 60
13 kt NEL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:46 PM · 1.9 ft
- Hunter Gut70
Gut · 0.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Scup 67
- Atlantic croaker 60
13 kt NEL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:46 PM · 1.9 ft
- Jeans Gut69
Gut · 0.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 66
- Atlantic croaker 60
13 kt NEL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:46 PM · 1.9 ft
- Shanks Creek69
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 66
- Atlantic croaker 56
13 kt NEL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:46 PM · 1.9 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.