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
422 PM EDT
Best window
5-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score42Fair
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward E
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% 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.

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 little tunny, Spanish mackerel and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for black sea bass, king mackerel, bluefish and striped bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Spot peak from August 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Greys Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    9 kt ENEL 3:17 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:26 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Jack Cove

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Spot 64
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    12 kt ENEL 3:40 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Sams Cove

    Bay · 2.1 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Spot 64
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    12 kt ENEL 3:40 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Rowes Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 58

    12 kt ENEL 3:40 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:35 PM · 1.5 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.