UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum81
- King mackerel80
- Atlantic croaker76
- Gray snapper76
- Spotted seatrout72
- Crevalle jack71
- Summer flounder70
- Gray triggerfish68
- Red snapper68
- Spanish mackerel67
- Spot67
- Black sea bass66
- Gag grouper66
- Red grouper66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Black drum65
- Greater amberjack64
- Florida pompano60
- Sheepshead60
- Southern flounder60
- Cobia59
- Little tunny59
- Weakfish57
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 596 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Austin Reef 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
79Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 10 kt SWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
60Season: 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 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
Austin Reef
- Depth
- 4-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · slope
- 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 Austin Reef
Austin Reef is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are red drum, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for red drum, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, red snapper, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Red drum peak from August through November. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- 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
- Oliver Reef81
Bar · 1.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 81
- King mackerel 80
- Atlantic croaker 76
10 kt SWL 8:27 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:54 AM · 1.5 ft
- Hatteras Inlet80
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 80
- Red drum 79
- Atlantic croaker 78
10 kt SWL 8:27 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:54 AM · 1.5 ft
- Shark Shoal77
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 77
- Crevalle jack 74
- King mackerel 74
10 kt SWL 9:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:25 AM · 0.8 ft
- Pelican Shoal74
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Crevalle jack 71
- King mackerel 71
10 kt SWL 8:27 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:54 AM · 1.5 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.