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CobiaShoulder seasonGut · Virginia
North Inlet
37.45°N · 75.69°W · Gut · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 301 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when North Inlet 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
67Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
29Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 69°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.8 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In 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
North Inlet
- Depth
- 3-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · 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 North Inlet
North Inlet is a gut in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia. Depth is 3-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and summer flounder. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, summer flounder and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Summer flounder peak from June 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.
- 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.
- Scup
- Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Quinby Inlet57
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 57
- Little tunny 55
- Summer flounder 52
18 kt NEH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ftL 12:49 AM · 0.7 ft
- The Straits54
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 54
- Summer flounder 51
- Sheepshead 49
18 kt NEH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ftL 12:49 AM · 0.7 ft
- Sandy Island Bay54
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 54
- Summer flounder 48
- Little tunny 46
18 kt NEH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ftL 12:49 AM · 0.7 ft
- Hodges Narrows45
Gut · 0.3 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 45
- Striped bass 45
- Bluefish 40
18 kt NEH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ftL 12:49 AM · 0.7 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.