Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · Virginia

Shelly Bay

37.93°N · 75.43°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM

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Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia

45/100Good
Now
307 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-12 AMOvercast
Tide now
Ebbing1.9 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Tue · 80

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide1.9 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind15 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateVery rough8.3 ft · 7 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast67% chance of rain
Water72°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Always check with VMRC ↗Fishing license ↗

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

Cobia season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Cobia in Virginia →

Spot profile

Shelly Bay

Depth
2-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Shelly Bay

Shelly Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker and black drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, mahi-mahi, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and bluefish. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August. Black drum peak in May.

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.
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Queen Sound Channel

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    15 kt NEL 12:31 PM · 0.1 ftH 6:41 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Mud Bay Gut

    Gut · 0.9 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    15 kt NEL 12:41 PM · 0.4 ftH 6:56 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Shoaling Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    15 kt NEL 12:31 PM · 0.1 ftH 6:41 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Upper Simoneaston Thorofare

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    15 kt NEL 12:31 PM · 0.1 ftH 6:41 PM · 2.3 ft

Open in the tide map

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.