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CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack65
- King mackerel64
- Summer flounder59
- Gray snapper58
- Florida pompano57
- Spanish mackerel54
- Black sea bass52
- Little tunny50
- Gray triggerfish47
- Red snapper47
- Gag grouper46
- Red grouper46
- Greater amberjack45
- Sheepshead45
- Bluefish35
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Red drum30
- Southern flounder30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Weakfish30
Best score today · 12 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 306 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-8 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sand Island 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
41Wind: 16 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
47Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.7 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
Sand Island Inlet
- Depth
- 1-30 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 Sand Island Inlet
Sand Island Inlet is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-30 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 summer flounder. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, summer flounder and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and little tunny. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Summer flounder peak from September 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.
- 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
- Great Ditch66
Channel · 4.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Crevalle jack 66
- Gray snapper 63
16 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 ft
- Oyster Creek Pit60
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 60
- Red drum 60
- Crevalle jack 58
16 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 ft
- Cowpen Point56
Bar · 2.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 56
- King mackerel 56
- Red drum 56
16 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 ft
- Long Point56
Cape · 3.8 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 56
- Crevalle jack 54
- Atlantic croaker 53
16 kt NNEH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 4:30 PM · 0.1 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.