UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaShoulder seasonBay · Virginia
Shields Cove
37.56°N · 75.87°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Windmill Point to New Point Comfort VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 496 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shields Cove 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
31Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
56Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
Shields Cove
- Depth
- Up to 2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Shields Cove
Shields Cove is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Windmill Point to New Point Comfort VA, Virginia. Depth is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and weakfish. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Young Point66
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Scup 63
- Spot 61
18 kt NEH 8:32 PM · 1.8 ftL 3:19 AM · 0.3 ft
- Fisher Point64
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 64
- Scup 61
- Spot 59
18 kt NEH 8:32 PM · 1.8 ftL 3:19 AM · 0.3 ft
- Scarborough Gut57
Gut · 2.6 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 57
- Bluefish 50
- Striped bass 48
21 kt ENEH 8:32 PM · 1.8 ftL 3:19 AM · 0.3 ft
- Gaskins Point55
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 55
- Black sea bass 52
- Striped bass 50
21 kt ENEH 8:32 PM · 1.8 ftL 3:19 AM · 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.