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CobiaShoulder seasonBar · Virginia
Great Shoal
36.90°N · 76.48°W · Bar · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 401 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Great Shoal 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
66Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
30Wind: 16 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
71Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Great Shoal
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Great Shoal
Great Shoal is a bar in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, little tunny, spot and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, king mackerel and striped bass. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.
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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Cedar Point61
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Little tunny 60
- Spot 55
16 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:17 PM · 3.5 ft
- Noggins Shoal60
Bar · 0.7 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 60
- Little tunny 58
- Bluefish 55
16 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:17 PM · 3.5 ft
- Willis John Shoal60
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 60
- Little tunny 57
- Spot 55
16 kt NEL 2:06 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:22 PM · 3.0 ft
- Halfpone Shoal60
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 60
- Little tunny 58
- Bluefish 55
16 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:17 PM · 3.5 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.