Species
Cobia
Rachycentron canadum · family Rachycentridae
Live · updated
Summer sight-casting target at channel markers, navigation buoys, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Hard-fighting, eel-bodied predator — looks a bit like a shark from above. Cast bucktails or live eels to cruising fish; chunking at anchor over wrecks also works. VA is the mid-Atlantic hot spot for cobia.
Preferred conditions
- Water temp
- 68–85°F (ideal 76°F)
- Tide
- either
- Moon
- either
- Depth
- 10–80 ft
- Active months
- Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Best cobia conditions today
Kiptopeke State Park
Cape Charles Town Pier
Chincoteague NWR — Fishing Access
No locations match that filter.
Regulations by jurisdiction
Virginia (tidal — VMRC)
Stale: last verified 51 days ago.
tidal bay
- Min size
- 43"
- Creel
- 1
Virginia tidal waters: 43-inch minimum total length. 1 fish per person, 2 fish per vessel (whichever is more restrictive). Open only June 15–September 20. Highly regulated ASMFC/SAFMC-managed species — annual possession cap also applies. VMRC regulation 4VAC20-510. Differs substantially from MD (also ASMFC-managed but MD season shorter).
Source · verified 2026-04-22
Stale: last verified 51 days ago.
atlantic
- Min size
- 43"
- Creel
- 1
Virginia Atlantic coast: same rule as tidal Bay — 43-inch minimum, 1 per person / 2 per vessel, open only June 15–September 20. ASMFC-managed; limits can shift annually.
Source · verified 2026-04-22