Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Sandy Point

37.26°N · 76.40°W · Cape · York River

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Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia

74/100Great
Now
507 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Oct 4 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score35Fair
Tide2.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward W
Wind8 kn SSWgusts 18 · steady
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherOvercast96% cloud
Water71°FPersisted

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

Sandy Point

Depth
2-5 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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in York River, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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 scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, striped bass and king mackerel. 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

  • Monday Creek

    Gut · 1.2 mi

    79
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 79
    • Red drum 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    10 kt EL 12:32 AM · 1.4 ftH 6:27 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    79
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 79
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Scup 70

    10 kt EL 12:50 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:56 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Tue Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Little tunny 65
    • Scup 65

    10 kt EL 12:38 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:41 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Bush Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Little tunny 66
    • Scup 65

    10 kt EL 12:32 AM · 1.4 ftH 6:27 AM · 2.4 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.