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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot75
- Crevalle jack74
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Red drum72
- King mackerel69
- Summer flounder69
- Southern flounder68
- Gray snapper66
- Spotted seatrout66
- Black drum64
- Black sea bass60
- Gag grouper60
- Gray triggerfish60
- Red snapper60
- Red grouper59
- Spanish mackerel58
- Weakfish58
- Cobia57
- Sheepshead57
- Little tunny55
- Greater amberjack54
- Florida pompano51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 578 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ballast Bay 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
72Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
56Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of 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 Bay
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Bay
Ballast Bay is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Indian Gap79
Gut · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 75
7 kt ENEL 10:39 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ft
- Stumpy Cove75
Bay · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt ENEL 10:39 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ft
- Little Goat Island Bay75
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt ENEL 10:39 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ft
- Myrtle Bay75
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt ENEL 10:39 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:11 PM · 3.6 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.