UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Black sea bass35
- Florida pompano35
- Gag grouper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Greater amberjack35
- King mackerel35
- Red grouper35
- Red snapper35
- Bluefish34
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Crevalle jack30
- Gray snapper30
- Little tunny30
- Red drum30
- Sheepshead30
- Southern flounder30
- Spanish mackerel30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Summer flounder30
- Weakfish30
Best score today · 1 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 306 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Nelson 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
14Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 21 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of 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
Nelson 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 Nelson Bay
Nelson 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 black sea bass, Florida pompano and gag grouper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Florida pompano, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Gag grouper peak from November through December.
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.
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Short Point35
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Florida pompano 35
- Gag grouper 35
21 kt NNEH 10:25 PM · 0.7 ftL 5:11 AM · 0.2 ft
- Green Point35
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Florida pompano 35
- Gag grouper 35
21 kt NNEH 10:25 PM · 0.7 ftL 5:11 AM · 0.2 ft
- Broad Creek35
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Florida pompano 35
- Gag grouper 35
21 kt NNEH 10:25 PM · 0.7 ftL 5:11 AM · 0.2 ft
- Lewis Creek35
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Florida pompano 35
- Gag grouper 35
21 kt NNEH 10:25 PM · 0.7 ftL 5:11 AM · 0.2 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.