Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · Virginia

Cobham Bay

37.16°N · 76.73°W · Bay · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge

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Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia

79/100Great
Now
4410 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score44Fair
Tide2.2 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward W
Wind12 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast94% chance of rain
Water79°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.

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

Cobham Bay

Depth
About 7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · 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 Cobham Bay

Cobham Bay is a bay in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is about 7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, bluefish and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Scup
Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Goose Hill Channel

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Scup 63

    12 kt NEL 4:20 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:03 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Drewry Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Scup 57

    12 kt NEL 4:20 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:03 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Lower Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Scup 57

    12 kt NEL 4:20 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:03 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Black Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Scup 57

    12 kt NEL 4:20 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:03 AM · 2.1 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.