UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaOff seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Black sea bass76
- Weakfish74
- Atlantic croaker72
- Red drum71
- Spot69
- Spotted seatrout69
- Summer flounder68
- Florida pompano67
- Little tunny67
- Black drum66
- Gag grouper66
- Sheepshead65
- Bluefish62
- Southern flounder62
- Striped bass61
- Red snapper60
- Crevalle jack57
- Greater amberjack54
- King mackerel54
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 3511 AM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Banks Channel 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
80Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 68°F, coolLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
20Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: 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
Out of season for Cobia · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Banks Channel
- Depth
- 5-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Banks Channel
Banks Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for black sea bass, weakfish, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. 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.
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- Weakfish
- Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Browns Inlet76
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 76
- Little tunny 76
- Florida pompano 74
8 kt NEH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ft
- Sanders Creek74
Gut · 3.9 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 74
- Weakfish 72
- Red drum 71
5 kt NEH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ftL 8:11 PM · 0.4 ft
- Browns Sound72
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Little tunny 72
- Black sea bass 70
8 kt NEH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ft
- Onslow Bay72
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Black sea bass 71
- Little tunny 71
8 kt NEH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 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.