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Rules · Cobia · ling / crabeater

Cobia size and bag limits by state

The East Coast cobia rulebook, north to south. Managed under the ASMFC interstate plan (Atlantic group); federal Gulf-group rules off Florida. Core fishery: Virginia and North Carolina for most of the Atlantic harvest, with fish from New York to Florida. Rules on file here for 8 states, New York to Florida.

  1. NYNew York
    Size
    43" minimum total length
    Bag
    1 fish per angler; max 2 fish per vessel when fishing from a vessel
    Season
    Open year-round
    Openas of Oct 13Checked Oct 12, 2026Agency page ↗
  2. NJNew Jersey
    Size
    43" minimum total length
    Bag
    1 fish per person, 2 fish per vessel
    Season
    No closed season listed
    Openas of Oct 13Checked Oct 12, 2026Agency page ↗
  3. MDMaryland
    Size
    43" minimum total length
    Bag
    1 fish per person per day, or up to 2 per vessel per day if 2 or more people aboard
    Season
    June 15 – September 20 (catch-and-release allowed September 21 – June 14)
    Catch and release onlyas of Oct 13Checked Oct 12, 2026Agency page ↗
  4. VAVirginia
    Size
    43" minimum total length
    Bag
    1 fish per person per day, 2 per vessel per day; whichever is more restrictive
    Season
    June 15 – September 20
    Closedas of Oct 13Checked Oct 12, 2026Agency page ↗
  5. NCNorth Carolina
    Size
    36" minimum fork length
    Bag
    1 fish per person per day
    Season
    May 1 – December 31, 2026
    Openas of Oct 13Checked Oct 12, 2026Agency page ↗
  6. SCSouth Carolina
    Size
    36" minimum fork length
    Bag
    1 fish per person per day
    Season
    Closed May 1 – May 31 in state waters south of 32°31.0′ N (Jeremy Inlet, Edisto Island); otherwise no closed season listed
    Openas of Oct 13Checked Oct 12, 2026Agency page ↗
  7. GAGeorgia
    Size
    36" minimum fork length
    Bag
    1 fish per angler per day, maximum 6 per boat
    Season
    Open March 1 – October 31
    Openas of Oct 13 · Open through Oct 31Checked Oct 12, 2026Agency page ↗
  8. FLFlorida (Atlantic)
    Size
    36" minimum fork length
    Bag
    1 fish per person per day or 2 per vessel, whichever is less
    Season
    No closed season listed
    Openas of Oct 13Checked Oct 12, 2026Agency page ↗

Status is derived from each row's season dates on Oct 13, 2026. Rules change in season, and the agency page controls. A state missing from this list is one we have not verified yet. It may still have a rule.

The trap on this fish

Cobia are the species on this board with real closed seasons: Maryland and Virginia keep a June 15 – September 20 window, North Carolina opens May 1, Georgia closes November through February, and South Carolina closes its southern state waters in May. North of North Carolina the minimum is 43 inches total length; from North Carolina south it is 36 inches fork length. Vessel limits often bind before the per-person bag does.

Federal waters

Atlantic-group cobia (Georgia through New York) have been managed by ASMFC since 2019, with NOAA Fisheries applying matching measures in federal waters. Cobia off Florida's east coast belong to the Gulf migratory group; the South Atlantic Council lists the federal limit there as 1 per person, 2 per vessel, 36 inches fork length. ASMFC · cobia ↗

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