Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Channel · Virginia

Tribell Shoal Channel

37.20°N · 76.64°W · Channel · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge

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Best score today · 11 PM · Cobia

76/100Great
Now
4310 AM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.3 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 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score43Fair
Tide2.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward W
Wind11 kn NNEgusts 23 · steady
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast72% chance of rain
Water77°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.

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

Tribell Shoal Channel

Depth
15-25 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Tribell Shoal Channel

Tribell Shoal Channel is a channel in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 15-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, 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 summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, weakfish and black sea bass. 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 · 5.0 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Scup 69
    • Atlantic croaker 64

    11 kt NNEL 4:34 PM · 0.6 ftH 10:24 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Walnut Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 63

    11 kt NNEL 3:09 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:15 PM · 2.5 ft

  • Drewry Point

    Cape · 4.2 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 63
    • Little tunny 60

    11 kt NNEL 4:34 PM · 0.6 ftH 10:24 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Mulberry Point

    Cape · 5.0 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 66
    • Scup 64

    11 kt NNEL 3:09 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:15 PM · 2.5 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.