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CobiaShoulder seasonBar · Virginia
Thimble Shoal
37.02°N · 76.25°W · Bar · Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 425 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Thimble Shoal 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
67Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Thimble 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 Thimble Shoal
Thimble Shoal is a bar in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Virginia. 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 spot, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from July 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
- 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
- Willoughby Bank65
Bar · 2.4 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 65
- Bluefish 64
- Spot 64
12 kt NEH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ft
- Old Point Comfort64
Cape · 3.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 64
- Spot 64
- Scup 63
12 kt NEH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ft
- Thimble Shoal63
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 63
- Bluefish 62
- Spanish mackerel 60
12 kt NEH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ft
- Horseshoe63
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 63
- Bluefish 62
- Spanish mackerel 60
12 kt NEH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:35 PM · 0.6 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.