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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack57
- Gray snapper56
- King mackerel54
- Summer flounder53
- Red snapper48
- Black sea bass46
- Gag grouper46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red grouper45
- Sheepshead45
- Spanish mackerel44
- Little tunny42
- Greater amberjack41
- Florida pompano40
- Bluefish35
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Red drum30
- Southern flounder30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Weakfish30
Best score today · 8 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 309 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ships 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
84Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
41Wind: 17 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
41Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 4.3 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
56Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable 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
Ships Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 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 Ships Bay
Ships Bay is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, gray snapper and king mackerel. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, gray snapper, king mackerel and summer flounder, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. King mackerel peak in May and from September 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Whole Head Bay60
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 60
- King mackerel 57
- Summer flounder 55
14 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Whale Head Bay60
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 60
- King mackerel 57
- Summer flounder 55
14 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Jenkins Cove57
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 57
- King mackerel 54
- Summer flounder 52
17 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Raccoon Bay57
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 57
- King mackerel 54
- Summer flounder 52
17 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 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.