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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot76
- Atlantic tarpon75
- Crevalle jack74
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum70
- Southern flounder68
- Summer flounder68
- King mackerel67
- Black drum64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Spotted seatrout63
- Gray triggerfish60
- Sheepshead60
- Black sea bass59
- Red snapper59
- Gag grouper58
- Weakfish58
- Cobia57
- Little tunny57
- Red grouper57
- Florida pompano55
- Greater amberjack52
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 6 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 577 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Howard 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
68Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 5 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
57Season: 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 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
Howard Bay
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Howard Bay
Howard Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, 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, Spanish mackerel, gray triggerfish and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Mile Hammock Bay78
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 75
5 kt NL 10:05 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:47 PM · 3.2 ft
- Traps Bay78
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 75
5 kt NL 10:05 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:47 PM · 3.2 ft
- Cedar Point76
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 76
- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 73
5 kt NL 10:05 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:47 PM · 3.2 ft
- Shell Point73
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 70
- Atlantic tarpon 70
5 kt NL 10:05 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:47 PM · 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.