UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano35
- King mackerel35
- Red snapper35
- Black sea bass34
- Gag grouper33
- Gray triggerfish33
- Red grouper33
- Greater amberjack32
- Bluefish31
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Crevalle jack30
- Gray snapper30
- Little tunny30
- Red drum30
- Sheepshead30
- Southern flounder30
- Spanish mackerel30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Summer flounder30
- Weakfish30
Best score today · 1 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 304 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4 AM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ballast Point 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
83Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
31Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 18 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
35Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.5 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Ballast Point
- Depth
- 1-8 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 Ballast Point
Ballast Point is a cape in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, king mackerel and red snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red snapper, black sea bass and gag grouper. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Red snapper peak from May through August.
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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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
- Shallowbag Bay35
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Crevalle jack 35
- Florida pompano 35
18 kt NNEH 5:34 AM · 3.4 ftL 11:32 AM · 1.3 ft
- Baum Point35
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Crevalle jack 35
- Florida pompano 35
18 kt NNEH 5:34 AM · 3.4 ftL 11:32 AM · 1.3 ft
- Deep Wear Point35
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 35
- Florida pompano 35
- Gray snapper 35
18 kt NNEH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:47 PM · 0.4 ft
- Ashbee Harbor35
Bay · 2.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Crevalle jack 35
- Florida pompano 35
18 kt NNEH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:47 PM · 0.4 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.