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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
The Outlet
37.38°N · 75.84°W · Channel · 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
- 297 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High5.2 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Outlet 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
42Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
21Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 19 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.7 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
39Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
The Outlet
- Depth
- Under 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · 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 The Outlet
The Outlet is a channel in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, bluefish and little tunny. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, striped bass and king mackerel. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Little tunny peak from September 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.
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Buckhorn Point35
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 35
- Little tunny 35
- Scup 35
19 kt NEH 7:13 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:36 AM · 0.9 ft
- Powells Channel35
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Bluefish 35
- Little tunny 35
19 kt NEH 7:13 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:36 AM · 0.9 ft
- The Ramshorn35
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Bluefish 35
- Little tunny 35
19 kt NEH 7:13 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:36 AM · 0.9 ft
- Outlet Bay30
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
34 kt NEL 12:39 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:52 AM · 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.