Between Bluefish Rock and the shore, cobia can be found in relatively shallow water along structure such as ledges, humps and sloughs. When the cobia first arrive in spring, they will be concentrated between the York and James rivers, with the area around Bluefish Rock off Hampton providing the lion's share of the action. The Western Shore boasts a number of productive locations for cobia during the early season as well. Good fishing is also available along both the bay and ocean sides of the bridge-tunnel complex. Other cobia hotspots on the eastern side of the bay include the Cabbage Patch north of buoy 16, the Inner Middle Ground Shoal north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and the area around the C-13 buoy. The record-breaking fish, which measured 72 inches, hit a bottom-fished piece of menhaden and took 45 minutes to land. Good numbers of trophy-sized cobia were caught in this area last year, including a new state record taken on July 7 that weighed a whopping 104 1/2 pounds. Good fishing can be found along the entire shoal from the RN 16 buoy off Kiptopeke all the way down to the shoal's southern tip. Latimer Shoal, off the bay's Eastern Shore south of Cape Charles, is a perennial top producer of large cobia each year. The most consistent action is found along the edges of shoals in the lower bay in water from 18 to 25 feet deep.

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