UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaOff seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Weakfish74
- Spotted seatrout73
- Little tunny72
- Red drum72
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot71
- Black sea bass70
- Bluefish68
- Southern flounder68
- Gag grouper67
- Black drum66
- Sheepshead65
- Summer flounder65
- Red snapper60
- Striped bass60
- Florida pompano56
- Crevalle jack54
- King mackerel54
- Greater amberjack51
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 4 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 3510 AM EST
- Best window
- 2-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Preston 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 3 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
92Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 66°F, coldLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
35Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
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
Out of season for Cobia · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Preston Bay
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Preston Bay
Preston Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are weakfish, spotted seatrout and little tunny. It is peak season now for weakfish, spotted seatrout, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and sheepshead. Weakfish peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Little tunny peak 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.
- Weakfish
- Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Little Oyster Creek77
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 77
- Red drum 76
- Weakfish 74
10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft
- Minktrap Point76
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 76
- Black sea bass 70
- Spotted seatrout 69
10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft
- Flower Bay74
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 74
- Spotted seatrout 73
- Little tunny 72
10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft
- Middle Bay74
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 74
- Spotted seatrout 73
- Little tunny 72
10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 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.