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 · 6 PM · Cobia

78/100Great
Now
4010 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.9 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score40Fair
Tide0.9 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward ENE
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherClear19% cloud
Water82°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

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 red drum, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for red drum, spot, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, striped bass, bluefish and spotted seatrout. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak 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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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

  • Monday Creek

    Gut · 1.2 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Spot 64
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    7 kt ENEH 3:15 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:29 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 63
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    7 kt ENEH 3:44 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:47 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Tue Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    58
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 58
    • Spot 58
    • Little tunny 53

    7 kt ENEH 3:29 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:35 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Bush Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    57
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 57
    • Red drum 56
    • Little tunny 51

    7 kt ENEH 3:15 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:29 AM · 1.6 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.