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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker79
- Spot76
- Crevalle jack74
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Gray snapper70
- Summer flounder70
- King mackerel69
- Red drum68
- Black drum65
- Black sea bass65
- Spotted seatrout64
- Southern flounder62
- Sheepshead61
- Weakfish61
- Gray triggerfish60
- Red snapper60
- Gag grouper59
- Red grouper59
- Spanish mackerel58
- Greater amberjack54
- Cobia52
- Florida pompano52
- Little tunny52
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 1 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 528 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Main 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
Thursday, Sep 24 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
36Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
65Wind: 12 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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
Main Channel
- Depth
- 1-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Main Channel
Main Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, 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, sheepshead and weakfish. 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
- Banks Channel79
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt NNEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Burthen Channel79
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt NNEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Burden Channel79
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt NNEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Bank Channel76
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 73
- Spot 72
7 kt NNEL 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.