UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano63
- King mackerel63
- Crevalle jack62
- Summer flounder62
- Atlantic croaker59
- Spot59
- Gray snapper58
- Spanish mackerel56
- Red drum54
- Black drum53
- Black sea bass53
- Gag grouper52
- Gray triggerfish52
- Little tunny52
- Red snapper52
- Red grouper51
- Greater amberjack49
- Sheepshead47
- Weakfish46
- Cobia44
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 8 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 446 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hog Island 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
56Wind: 15 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.7 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
Hog Island Shoal
- Depth
- 5-7 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 Hog Island Shoal
Hog Island Shoal is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 5-7 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, summer flounder and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and 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.
- 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
- Gull Rocks72
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 72
- Gray snapper 64
- Florida pompano 63
15 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Mount Pheasant Bay65
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 64
15 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Hickory Creek Bay65
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 64
15 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Bensons Point61
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 61
- Crevalle jack 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
15 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 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.