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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Great Channel
37.64°N · 75.62°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 306 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMNight bite
- Tide now
- Flooding4.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Great Channel 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 + Open-Meteo Marine
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
25Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.7 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 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
Great Channel
- Depth
- Up to 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 Great Channel
Great Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is up to 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, mahi-mahi and Atlantic bluefin tuna. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for mahi-mahi, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September. Mahi-mahi peak from August through September. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in 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.
- 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.
- Mahi-mahi
- Mahi feed near the surface along weedlines, floating debris, buoys and current edges offshore, in water from the low 70s to the low 80s. Troll ballyhoo or small skirted lures along the weed, and when a school comes up behind the boat keep one hooked fish in the water while you pitch cut bait or jigs to the rest. Look for birds working over weed and flotsam.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cedar Island Bay48
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 48
- Striped bass 46
- King mackerel 45
18 kt NEH 7:05 PM · 4.3 ftL 1:06 AM · 0.9 ft
- Burtons Bay42
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 42
- Mahi-mahi 36
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
18 kt NEH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:04 AM · 0.9 ft
- Great Gut Cove30
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
37 kt NEH 7:05 PM · 4.3 ftL 1:06 AM · 0.9 ft
- Great Gut30
Gut · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
37 kt NEH 7:05 PM · 4.3 ftL 1:06 AM · 0.9 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.