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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Port Norfolk Reach
36.86°N · 76.32°W · Channel · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 436 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Port Norfolk Reach 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
76Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
56Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 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 yesterday
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
Port Norfolk Reach
- Depth
- 10-50 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · drop-off
- 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 Port Norfolk Reach
Port Norfolk Reach is a channel in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 10-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, black sea bass and scup. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Scup peak from June 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.
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Lambert Bend66
Bend · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 66
- Scup 64
- Black sea bass 61
12 kt NEH 7:41 AM · 2.8 ftL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ft
- Lamberts Point64
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 64
- Little tunny 62
- Black sea bass 61
12 kt NEH 7:41 AM · 2.8 ftL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ft
- Ludlow Flats63
Flat · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Spot 61
- Spanish mackerel 57
12 kt NEH 7:46 AM · 3.0 ftL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ft
- Hospital Point62
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 62
- Scup 62
- Spot 61
12 kt NEH 7:46 AM · 3.0 ftL 1:46 PM · 0.6 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.