Waterlands

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CobiaShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Eagle Nest Bay

35.73°N · 75.51°W · Bay · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 1 AM · Cobia

74/100Great
Now
357 PM EDT
Best window
7-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.9 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide1.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward SSW
Wind14 kn NEgusts 29 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherOvercast80% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Cobia is best here

Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder

Cobia season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Cobia in North Carolina

Spot profile

Eagle Nest Bay

Depth
1-2 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 Eagle Nest Bay

Eagle Nest Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 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, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. 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

  • Pea Island Bay

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    58
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 58
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • King mackerel 54

    14 kt NEL 12:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:26 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Goat Island Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    57
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • King mackerel 54
    • Florida pompano 53

    14 kt NEL 12:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:26 AM · 0.9 ft

  • The Trench

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    57
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • King mackerel 54
    • Florida pompano 53

    14 kt NEL 12:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:26 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Goose Island Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    54
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 54
    • Florida pompano 53
    • Crevalle jack 52

    14 kt NEL 12:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:26 AM · 0.9 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.