UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano61
- King mackerel61
- Summer flounder60
- Atlantic croaker59
- Gray snapper59
- Spot59
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Crevalle jack58
- Red drum57
- Black drum53
- Red snapper53
- Spanish mackerel53
- Black sea bass50
- Gag grouper49
- Gray triggerfish49
- Little tunny49
- Red grouper48
- Greater amberjack47
- Weakfish47
- Sheepshead44
- Cobia42
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 422 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-11 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bluff Shoal 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 · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 12 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
42Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.9 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Bluff Shoal
- Depth
- 8-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Bluff Shoal
Bluff Shoal is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 8-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, king mackerel and summer flounder. It is peak season now for king mackerel, summer flounder, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Summer flounder peak from September 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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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
- Southwest Bay69
Bay · 6.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 69
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Drum Point64
Cape · 6.9 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Gray snapper 63
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Sevenfoot Patch62
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 62
- King mackerel 62
- Summer flounder 61
12 kt NNEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Bluff Shoal61
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 61
- King mackerel 61
- Summer flounder 60
12 kt NNEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 PM · 0.5 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.