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CobiaShoulder seasonBay · North Carolina
Rich Inlet
34.30°N · 77.71°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Surf City to Cape Fear NC out 20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack69
- King mackerel68
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot65
- Florida pompano64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Summer flounder63
- Red drum59
- Spanish mackerel58
- Gray snapper56
- Black sea bass54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Red snapper54
- Gag grouper53
- Little tunny53
- Wahoo53
- Red grouper52
- Cobia51
- Weakfish51
- Mahi-mahi50
- Black drum48
- Greater amberjack48
- Sheepshead46
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 8 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 513 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rich Inlet scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
80Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
70Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.9 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Cobia is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Rich Inlet
- Depth
- 3-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · 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 Rich Inlet
Rich Inlet is a bay in Coastal waters from Surf City to Cape Fear NC out 20 nm, North Carolina. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Stump Sound65
Bay · 18 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 65
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Crevalle jack 62
14 kt NEH 6:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 12:15 AM · 0.8 ft
- Spicer Bay62
Bay · 18 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Crevalle jack 62
- Spot 61
14 kt NEH 6:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 12:15 AM · 0.8 ft
- Dixon Point59
Cape · 15 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 59
- Crevalle jack 57
- Atlantic croaker 56
14 kt NEH 6:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 12:15 AM · 0.8 ft
- Dixon Point59
Cape · 16 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 59
- Crevalle jack 57
- Atlantic croaker 56
14 kt NEH 6:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 12:15 AM · 0.8 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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.