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CobiaShoulder seasonBay · Virginia
Magothy Bay
37.18°N · 75.93°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 3 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 3012 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Magothy Bay 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
36Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
12Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 20 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 5.0 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · 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
Magothy Bay
- Depth
- Up to 1 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 Magothy Bay
Magothy Bay is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and cobia. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Dunton Cove41
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 41
- Black sea bass 36
- Little tunny 35
20 kt NEL 12:53 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:11 PM · 3.0 ft
- Cabin Cove40
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 40
- Little tunny 35
- Scup 35
20 kt NEL 1:09 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:56 PM · 4.2 ft
- Jones Cove40
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 40
- Little tunny 35
- Scup 35
20 kt NEL 12:53 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:11 PM · 3.0 ft
- McGothy Channel39
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 39
- Bluefish 35
- Little tunny 35
20 kt NEL 1:09 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:56 PM · 4.2 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.