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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
- 573 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
76Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC
76Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
56Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 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, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for spotted seatrout, weakfish, Atlantic croaker and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
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 Bay75
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Scup 72
- Spanish mackerel 65
10 kt NEH 4:25 PM · 1.2 ftL 9:46 PM · 0.5 ft
- Blue Bay72
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 72
- Scup 70
- Spanish mackerel 68
10 kt NEH 5:28 PM · 1.3 ftL 10:34 PM · 0.5 ft
- Smith Point70
Cape · 3.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Little tunny 67
- Scup 67
10 kt NEH 4:25 PM · 1.2 ftL 9:46 PM · 0.5 ft
- Stump Neck70
Cape · 5.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 70
- Spot 67
- Scup 65
10 kt NEH 5:15 PM · 1.5 ftL 10:28 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.