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CobiaShoulder seasonGut · Virginia
Rock Gut
37.89°N · 75.69°W · Gut · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 488 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rock Gut 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
Wednesday, Sep 30 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
80Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt SEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
34Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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
Rock Gut
- Depth
- 2-4 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 Rock Gut
Rock Gut is a gut in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for weakfish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and 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.
- 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
- South Point70
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 70
- Scup 65
- Spot 65
14 kt NEH 9:58 PM · 2.6 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.9 ft
- North Point70
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 70
- Scup 65
- Spot 65
14 kt NEH 9:58 PM · 2.6 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.9 ft
- Drum Point68
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Scup 63
- Spot 63
14 kt NEH 10:19 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.7 ft
- Dicks Point68
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Red drum 65
- Scup 63
14 kt NEH 10:19 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:54 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.