Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Cherry Point

37.63°N · 76.40°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia

76/100Great
Now
3511 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb 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

Wednesday, Sep 30 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score54Good
Tide1.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward W
Wind7 kn SEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherClear3% cloud
Water71°FModel

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

Cherry Point

Depth
1-70 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Cherry Point

Cherry Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 1-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and black sea bass. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, striped bass and king mackerel. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Black sea bass peak from May through June 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Jack Cove

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Red drum 58
    • Scup 56

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Sams Cove

    Bay · 2.1 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Red drum 58
    • Scup 56

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Greys Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Little tunny 56
    • Bluefish 55

    11 kt NEL 3:58 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:51 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Rowes Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    58
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 58
    • Spot 58
    • Little tunny 53

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 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.