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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Big Thorofare
37.60°N · 75.64°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 3 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 306 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Thorofare 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
52Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
38Wind: 16 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
58Season: 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
Big Thorofare
- Depth
- 2-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Big Thorofare
Big Thorofare is a channel in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are yellowfin tuna, black sea bass and mahi-mahi. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, king mackerel and striped bass. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Mahi-mahi peak from August 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.
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Black Rock Reach44
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 44
- Black sea bass 41
- Mahi-mahi 41
16 kt NEH 6:26 AM · 4.0 ftL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ft
- Sandy Point44
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 44
- Mahi-mahi 41
- Bluefish 40
16 kt NEH 6:26 AM · 4.0 ftL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ft
- Bradford Channel44
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 44
- Black sea bass 41
- Mahi-mahi 41
16 kt NEH 6:26 AM · 4.0 ftL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ft
- Big Wye Channel30
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
32 kt NEH 6:26 AM · 4.0 ftL 12:29 PM · 0.8 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.