Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

Blue Bay

38.45°N · 77.26°W · Bay · Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD

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Best score today · 8 AM · Cobia

78/100Great
Now
4311 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMNight bite
Tide now
Low0.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score43Fair
Tide0.5 ftLow
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind9 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherOvercast92% chance of rain
Water75°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 today

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

Blue Bay

Depth
4-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Blue Bay

Blue Bay is a bay in Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, 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 sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, weakfish, Atlantic croaker and spotted seatrout. 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

  • Wades Bay

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Scup 65
    • Red drum 63

    9 kt NEH 4:38 AM · 1.3 ftL 10:25 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Harrison Cove

    Bay · 5.8 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Scup 64
    • Red drum 63

    9 kt NEH 4:38 AM · 1.3 ftL 10:25 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Mallows Bay

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 57
    • Red drum 56

    9 kt NEH 5:41 AM · 1.4 ftL 11:13 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Smith Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 61
    • Red drum 59

    9 kt NEH 4:38 AM · 1.3 ftL 10:25 AM · 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.