Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Channel · North Carolina

Oregon Inlet

35.77°N · 75.54°W · Channel · Croatan and Roanoke Sounds

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Best score today · 1 AM · Cobia

76/100Great
Now
3010 PM EDT
Best window
10-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score30Fair
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward NNE
Wind16 kn NEgusts 31 · steady
Sea stateRough4.3 ft · 6 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast58% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Cobia is best here

Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder

Cobia season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Cobia in North Carolina

Spot profile

Oregon Inlet

Depth
6-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Inlet · Inner · Semi-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 Oregon Inlet

Oregon Inlet is a channel in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth is 6-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and black sea bass. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, gray snapper and summer flounder, and shoulder season for black sea bass, red snapper, gray triggerfish and gag grouper. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November.

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

  • Oregon Inlet Channel

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    62
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 62
    • King mackerel 58
    • Black sea bass 50

    16 kt NEL 11:55 PM · 0.2 ftH 6:08 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Davis Channel

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    59
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • King mackerel 57
    • Black sea bass 49

    16 kt NEL 11:34 PM · 0.3 ftH 6:00 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Green Island Channel

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    59
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • King mackerel 56
    • Black sea bass 50

    16 kt NEL 11:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 5:57 AM · 1.9 ft

  • South Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    56
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 56
    • Crevalle jack 53
    • Red snapper 49

    16 kt NEL 11:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 5:57 AM · 1.9 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.