Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Walnut Point

37.17°N · 76.66°W · Cape · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge

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Best score today · 5 PM · Cobia

72/100Great
Now
4412 AM EDT
Best window
5-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score44Fair
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind11 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast87% 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.

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

Walnut Point

Depth
2-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Walnut Point

Walnut Point is a cape in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Tribell Shoal Channel

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 63
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    11 kt NEL 3:34 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:21 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Cobham Bay

    Bay · 3.8 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 62
    • Sheepshead 58

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

  • Mulberry Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 59
    • Red drum 59

    11 kt NEL 2:58 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:55 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Drewry Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 58
    • Red drum 58

    11 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.