Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Sheltons Point

37.65°N · 76.52°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia

74/100Great
Now
506 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score50Good
Tide1.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind12 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast84% 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

Sheltons Point

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Sheltons Point

Sheltons Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September 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.
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.
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

  • Towles Point Bar

    Bar · 1.4 mi

    67
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 67
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 64

    12 kt NEH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ftL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Bailey Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    12 kt NEH 9:48 PM · 1.6 ftL 4:25 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Ball Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    12 kt NEH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ftL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Yankee Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    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.