Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · New Jersey

Kingfisher Cove

40.05°N · 74.10°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia

55/100Good
Now
299 AM EDT
Best window
6-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.3 ft ▼

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score29Fair
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind20 kn NEgusts 32 · steady
Sea stateRough5.7 ft · 8 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast36% chance of rain
Water69°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 NJFW before you keep a fish.

Always check with NJFW ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: NJFW · 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 New Jersey →

Spot profile

Kingfisher Cove

Depth
4-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Kingfisher Cove

Kingfisher Cove is a bay in Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM, New Jersey. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic bluefin tuna, bluefish and striped bass. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, bluefish, striped bass and mahi-mahi. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

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.
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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Havens Cove

    Bay · 2.1 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    20 kt NEH 10:32 AM · 0.3 ftL 4:48 PM · 0.1 ft

  • Sloop Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    20 kt NEH 10:32 AM · 0.3 ftL 4:48 PM · 0.1 ft

  • Jones Tide Pond

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    20 kt NEH 10:32 AM · 0.3 ftL 4:48 PM · 0.1 ft

  • Drum Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    20 kt NEH 10:27 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:50 PM · 0.1 ft

Open in the tide map

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.