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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack59
- King mackerel54
- Florida pompano53
- Black sea bass44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Gag grouper43
- Red snapper43
- Red grouper42
- Greater amberjack38
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Black drum35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Little tunny35
- Red drum35
- Sheepshead35
- Southern flounder35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Spot35
- Spotted seatrout35
- Summer flounder35
- Weakfish35
- Bluefish34
Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 358 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-1 PMOvercast
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sound 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
49Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
27Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 18 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
55Season: 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
Sound 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 Sound Bay
Sound Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, 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, king mackerel and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and gag grouper. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
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.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Little Drum Creek59
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 59
- King mackerel 54
- Florida pompano 48
18 kt NNEH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 ft
- Boar Shoal55
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 55
- King mackerel 54
- Crevalle jack 53
18 kt NNEH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 ft
- Boar Point54
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 54
- Crevalle jack 53
- Florida pompano 48
18 kt NNEH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bay Point54
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 54
- Crevalle jack 53
- Florida pompano 48
18 kt NNEH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ftL 9:10 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.