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Little tunnyShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker79
- Spot75
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Crevalle jack72
- Gray snapper69
- Summer flounder69
- Red drum68
- King mackerel67
- Black drum64
- Black sea bass63
- Florida pompano62
- Spotted seatrout62
- Southern flounder60
- Sheepshead59
- Weakfish59
- Gray triggerfish58
- Red snapper58
- Gag grouper57
- Red grouper57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Greater amberjack52
- Little tunny52
- Cobia49
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 527 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cow 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
69Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here
Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cow Channel
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLittle tunny
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 Cow Channel
Cow Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, Florida pompano and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- 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
- Sanders Creek79
Gut · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 72
7 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Bank Channel77
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 72
7 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Bear Inlet76
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Atlantic tarpon 76
- Crevalle jack 75
8 kt ENEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Bogue Inlet75
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 75
- Atlantic croaker 74
- King mackerel 73
7 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 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.