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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel69
- Atlantic croaker64
- Gray snapper62
- Florida pompano59
- Gray triggerfish59
- Red snapper59
- Black sea bass58
- Crevalle jack58
- Gag grouper58
- Red drum58
- Red grouper58
- Summer flounder58
- Spot56
- Greater amberjack54
- Black drum53
- Atlantic tarpon52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Sheepshead50
- Little tunny47
- Cobia45
- Weakfish45
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 4 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 453 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-5 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Oliver Reef 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
53Wind: 15 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.1 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
56Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable 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 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
Oliver Reef
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · 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 Oliver Reef
Oliver Reef is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, gray triggerfish, red snapper and black sea bass. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Austin Reef69
Bar · 1.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 69
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Gray snapper 62
15 kt ENEH 5:25 PM · 2.2 ftL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ft
- Rawlinsons Channel67
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Crevalle jack 65
- Spot 64
15 kt ENEH 6:41 PM · 0.8 ftL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ft
- Shark Shoal61
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 61
- King mackerel 61
- Crevalle jack 60
15 kt ENEH 6:41 PM · 0.8 ftL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ft
- Egg Shoal61
Bar · 1.9 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 61
- King mackerel 61
- Red drum 61
15 kt ENEH 6:41 PM · 0.8 ftL 1:14 AM · 0.6 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.