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CobiaShoulder seasonGut · Virginia
Wildcat Gut
37.97°N · 75.32°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 307 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMNight bite
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Wildcat 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
99Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
32Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 17 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater 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
Wildcat Gut
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Wildcat Gut
Wildcat Gut is a gut in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic bluefin tuna, mahi-mahi and yellowfin tuna. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, mahi-mahi, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Mahi-mahi peak from August through September. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Assateague Bay35
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
- Mahi-mahi 35
- Yellowfin tuna 35
17 kt NEH 8:26 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.5 ft
- Sign Gut35
Gut · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
- Mahi-mahi 35
- Yellowfin tuna 35
17 kt NEH 8:26 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.5 ft
- Harmon Cove35
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
- Mahi-mahi 35
- Yellowfin tuna 35
17 kt NEH 8:26 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.5 ft
- Wildcat Point35
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 35
- Mahi-mahi 35
- Yellowfin tuna 35
17 kt NEH 8:26 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.5 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.