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CobiaShoulder seasonBay · Maryland
Mallows Bay
38.47°N · 77.27°W · Bay · Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 627 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mallows Bay 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 2 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
90Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC
76Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
47Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
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 today
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
Mallows Bay
- Depth
- 2-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Mallows Bay
Mallows Bay is a bay in Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for weakfish, Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Little tunny peak 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Smith Point79
Cape · 3.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 79
- Spot 72
- Spanish mackerel 71
9 kt NEL 9:46 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:38 AM · 1.3 ft
- Blue Bay78
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 78
- Spanish mackerel 73
- Little tunny 72
9 kt NEL 10:34 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:41 AM · 1.4 ft
- Wades Bay78
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 78
- Spanish mackerel 73
- Little tunny 72
9 kt NEL 9:46 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:38 AM · 1.3 ft
- Stump Neck76
Cape · 5.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 76
- Spot 72
- Spanish mackerel 68
9 kt NEL 10:28 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:28 AM · 1.6 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.