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CobiaShoulder seasonGut · Virginia
East Gut
37.96°N · 75.33°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 308 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
40Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
37Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.3 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
East Gut
- Depth
- 1-7 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 East Gut
East Gut is a gut in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are bluefish, yellowfin tuna and striped bass. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oyster Bay48
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 48
- Striped bass 46
- Yellowfin tuna 46
15 kt NEL 1:45 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:48 PM · 1.8 ft
- Wildcat Gut46
Gut · 0.7 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 46
- Bluefish 43
- Black sea bass 42
15 kt NEL 2:57 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:26 PM · 1.2 ft
- Assateague Bay46
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 46
- Bluefish 43
- Striped bass 42
15 kt NEL 2:57 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:26 PM · 1.2 ft
- Sign Gut46
Gut · 1.2 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 46
- Bluefish 43
- Black sea bass 42
15 kt NEL 2:57 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:26 PM · 1.2 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.