Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Ragged Point

38.15°N · 76.61°W · Cape · Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA

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Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia

73/100Great
Now
519 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Sep 28 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score58Good
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward SE
Wind8 kn NWgusts 17 · steady
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water72°FBias corrected

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

Ragged Point

Depth
6-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Ragged Point

Ragged Point is a cape in Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 6-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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.
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

  • Coles Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 62

    13 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Stinking Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 62

    12 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Thorns Point

    Cape · 13 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 61

    12 kt NEH 12:23 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:44 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 61
    • Scup 58

    17 kt ENEH 12:34 AM · 1.4 ftL 6:18 AM · 0.5 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.