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CobiaShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Orchard Point
37.65°N · 76.45°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 465 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Orchard Point 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
54Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
73Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC
81Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
41Season: 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
Orchard Point
- Depth
- 2-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
- 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 Orchard Point
Orchard Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 2-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, king mackerel and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Carter Cove64
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 64
- Spanish mackerel 63
- Scup 60
12 kt NEH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ftL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ft
- Sloop Landing Point61
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spanish mackerel 59
- Spot 59
12 kt NEH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ftL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ft
- Crab Point61
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spanish mackerel 59
- Spot 59
12 kt NEH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ftL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ft
- Galley Hook Point61
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spanish mackerel 59
- Spot 59
12 kt NEH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ftL 4:21 AM · 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.