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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack51
- King mackerel51
- Florida pompano45
- Black sea bass44
- Red snapper42
- Gray triggerfish38
- Red grouper38
- Gag grouper37
- Atlantic croaker35
- Black drum35
- Bluefish35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Little tunny35
- Red drum35
- Sheepshead35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Spot35
- Summer flounder35
- Weakfish35
- Greater amberjack34
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 2 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 354 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-7 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ocracoke Inlet 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
65Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
15Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 22 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
35Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime 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 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
Ocracoke Inlet
- Depth
- 4-45 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · 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 Ocracoke Inlet
Ocracoke Inlet is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 4-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and 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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, red snapper 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
- Blair Channel47
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 47
- King mackerel 44
- Black sea bass 41
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Horse Island Channel47
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 47
- King mackerel 45
- Black sea bass 42
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Vera Cruz Shoal46
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 46
- Florida pompano 45
- Crevalle jack 42
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Amity Shoal (historical)45
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 45
- King mackerel 45
- Crevalle jack 42
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 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.