Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

CobiaShoulder season

Bar · New Jersey

Baker Shoal

39.48°N · 75.55°W · Bar · Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 PM · Cobia

79/100Great
Now
423 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.8 ft

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

Notify me when Baker Shoal scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Mon · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score42Fair
Tide0.8 ftLow
CurrentEbb1.4 kn · toward S
Wind13 kn ENEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast95% cloud
Water74°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 today

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

Baker Shoal

Depth
15-20 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Baker Shoal

Baker Shoal is a bar in Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE, New Jersey. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Spanish mackerel and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, summer flounder and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, weakfish, king mackerel and black sea bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Marsh Point

    Cape · 7.0 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Bluefish 60
    • Spanish mackerel 59

    13 kt ENEL 4:03 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:49 PM · 5.8 ft

  • Stony Inlet

    Bay · 4.3 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spanish mackerel 62
    • Summer flounder 60

    13 kt ENEH 9:20 PM · 6.3 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Alder Cove

    Bay · 5.3 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Spanish mackerel 58
    • Red drum 57

    13 kt ENEH 9:25 PM · 6.4 ftL 3:41 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Baker Range

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    57
    Top: Summer flounderPeak season
    • Summer flounder 57
    • Red drum 56
    • Weakfish 56

    13 kt ENEH 9:10 PM · 6.5 ftL 3:55 AM · 0.7 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.