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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Wachapreague Inlet
37.58°N · 75.60°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 3012 PM EDT
- Best window
- 12 PM-12 AMDusk
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Wachapreague Inlet 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
39Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
12Wind over the limit · capped at 30Wind: 34 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 69°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 6.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime 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
Wachapreague Inlet
- Depth
- 4-45 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
- 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 Wachapreague Inlet
Wachapreague Inlet is a channel in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 4-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and 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, red drum, scup and sheepshead, 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
- Bradford Channel45
Channel · 2.0 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 45
- Striped bass 44
- Black sea bass 43
17 kt NEH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:04 AM · 0.9 ft
- Dawson Shoals30
Bar · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
34 kt NEH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:04 AM · 0.9 ft
- Horseshoe Lead30
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
34 kt NEH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:04 AM · 0.9 ft
- Big Wye Channel30
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
34 kt NEH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:04 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.