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CobiaShoulder seasonBay · Virginia
Cod Harbor
37.81°N · 75.99°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 618 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-10 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cod Harbor 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
55Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 8 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
93Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable 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 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
Cod Harbor
- Depth
- 1-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Cod Harbor
Cod Harbor is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, cobia and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. 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.
- 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
- Mailboat Harbor85
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 85
- Scup 75
- Red drum 73
8 kt NNEH 8:36 AM · 1.2 ftL 2:54 PM · 0.3 ft
- Tangier North Channel82
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 82
- Scup 74
- Atlantic croaker 73
8 kt NNEH 8:36 AM · 1.2 ftL 2:54 PM · 0.3 ft
- Whale Point76
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 76
- Scup 68
- Little tunny 67
8 kt NNEH 8:36 AM · 1.2 ftL 2:54 PM · 0.3 ft
- West Point76
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 76
- Scup 69
- Little tunny 67
8 kt NNEH 8:36 AM · 1.2 ftL 2:54 PM · 0.3 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.