Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

Shanks Creek

37.96°N · 76.03°W · Bay · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

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Best score today · 11 PM · Cobia

69/100Great
Now
488 AM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score48Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind13 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 4 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast84% chance of rain
Water78°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 yesterday

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

Shanks Creek

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Shanks Creek

Shanks Creek is a bay in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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.
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

  • Rhodes Point Gut

    Gut · 1.0 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 62
    • Summer flounder 62

    13 kt NEH 11:18 AM · 1.8 ftL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Hunter Gut

    Gut · 0.4 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 61
    • Sheepshead 61

    13 kt NEH 11:18 AM · 1.8 ftL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Jeans Gut

    Gut · 1.2 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Red drum 62
    • Scup 62

    13 kt NEH 11:18 AM · 1.8 ftL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Rocking Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spot 59
    • Bluefish 58

    13 kt NEH 11:18 AM · 1.8 ftL 5:49 PM · 0.5 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.