Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · New Jersey

Manahawkin Bay

39.66°N · 74.20°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM

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Best score today · 1 AM · Cobia

50/100Good
Now
3011 AM EDT
Best window
11 AM-12 AMDusk
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 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: Tue · 81

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind19 kn ENEgusts 39 · steady
Sea stateVery rough7.3 ft · 8 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water68°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

Manahawkin Bay

Depth
4-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · 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 Manahawkin Bay

Manahawkin Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM, New Jersey. Depth is 4-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and mahi-mahi. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, mahi-mahi, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September. Mahi-mahi peak from August 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Main Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Yellowfin tuna 35
    • Mahi-mahi 32

    19 kt ENEL 4:16 PM · 0.2 ftH 9:21 PM · 1.1 ft

  • Turtle Cove

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
    • Yellowfin tuna 35
    • Mahi-mahi 33

    19 kt ENEL 4:00 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:09 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Mill Creek Thorofare

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    19 kt ENEL 4:00 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:09 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Popular Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    19 kt ENEL 3:42 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:51 PM · 1.8 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.