Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Channel · New Jersey

Mill Creek Thorofare

39.65°N · 74.22°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM

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Best score today · 1 AM · Cobia

40/100Fair
Now
309 AM EDT
Best window
9 AM-12 AMOvercast
Tide now
High1.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide1.2 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward NNE
Wind17 kn ENEgusts 34 · steady
Sea stateVery rough8.1 ft · 8 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water67°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.

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

Mill Creek Thorofare

Depth
3-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Mill Creek Thorofare

Mill Creek Thorofare is a channel in Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM, New Jersey. Depth is 3-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker and black drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and bluefish. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August. Black drum peak in May.

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.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Popular Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black sea bass 30

    17 kt ENEL 3:42 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:51 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Cross Channel

    Channel · 0.5 mi

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

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

  • Oyster Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black sea bass 30

    17 kt ENEL 3:42 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:51 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Mud Cove

    Bay · 1.0 mi

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

    17 kt ENEL 3:05 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:29 PM · 2.0 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.