Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · Virginia

Cornwallis Cove

37.23°N · 76.50°W · Bay · York River

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Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia

77/100Great
Now
531 PM EDT
Best window
3-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score53Good
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SE
Wind7 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherOvercast87% cloud
Water81°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

Cornwallis Cove

Depth
3-80 ftDrop-off
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Cornwallis Cove

Cornwallis Cove is a bay in York River, Virginia. Depth is 3-80 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and summer flounder, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Point of Rocks

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Spot 61
    • Sheepshead 60

    7 kt NEH 6:15 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:44 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Gloucester Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    62
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 62
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 59

    7 kt NEH 6:16 PM · 2.5 ftL 12:41 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 59
    • Spanish mackerel 59

    7 kt NEH 6:16 PM · 2.5 ftL 12:41 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Quarter Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 59
    • Spanish mackerel 59

    7 kt NEH 6:16 PM · 2.5 ftL 12:41 AM · 0.7 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.