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CobiaShoulder seasonBar · Virginia
Vineyard Shoal
37.96°N · 75.35°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 306 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Vineyard Shoal 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
76Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
33Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.2 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
Vineyard Shoal
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Vineyard Shoal
Vineyard Shoal is a bar in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are bluefish, king mackerel and striped bass. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, king mackerel, striped bass and black sea bass. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. 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.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oyster Bay48
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 48
- Striped bass 46
- King mackerel 45
15 kt NEH 7:20 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:45 PM · 0.3 ft
- East Gut47
Gut · 1.2 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 47
- Bluefish 46
- King mackerel 44
15 kt NEH 7:27 AM · 0.9 ftL 2:12 PM · 0.3 ft
- Blake Point45
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 45
- Yellowfin tuna 44
- Striped bass 43
15 kt NEH 7:27 AM · 0.9 ftL 2:12 PM · 0.3 ft
- Little Oyster Bay30
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
15 kt NEH 7:20 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:45 PM · 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.