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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · New Jersey
Little Finger Channel
39.29°N · 74.58°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Little Egg Inlet to Great Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 2 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 303 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMDusk
- Tide now
- Flooding1.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Little Finger Channel 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
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.1 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
31Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 17 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
33Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 67°F, coolLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 7.7 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
58Season: 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.
Source: NJFW · 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
Little Finger Channel
- Depth
- 2-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Little Finger Channel
Little Finger Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Little Egg Inlet to Great Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM, New Jersey. Depth is 2-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are yellowfin tuna, Atlantic bluefin tuna and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and bluefish. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. 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.
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
- Atlantic bluefin tuna
- Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Little Finger Channel35
Gut · 0.1 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 35
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 34
- Atlantic croaker 30
17 kt ENEH 6:53 PM · 4.0 ftL 1:51 AM · 0.7 ft
- Rainbow Channel35
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 35
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 34
- Atlantic croaker 30
17 kt ENEH 6:53 PM · 4.0 ftL 1:51 AM · 0.7 ft
- Rainbow Thorofare35
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 35
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 34
- Atlantic croaker 30
17 kt ENEH 6:53 PM · 4.0 ftL 1:51 AM · 0.7 ft
- Carnival Bayou30
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
17 kt ENEH 6:53 PM · 4.0 ftL 1:51 AM · 0.7 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.