UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaOff seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Bluefish68
- Little tunny68
- Weakfish63
- King mackerel62
- Red drum62
- Summer flounder60
- Crevalle jack59
- Florida pompano59
- Striped bass53
- Black sea bass52
- Gag grouper48
- Atlantic croaker47
- Greater amberjack47
- Spot47
- Black drum43
- Red snapper41
- Sheepshead39
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 356 PM EST
- Best window
- 6-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tar Hole 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
81Tide: EbbingCurrent: 2.1 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
33Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeas: 3.2 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
44Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Prime 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
Out of season for Cobia · shoulder season starts in 18 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Tar Hole Inlet
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · 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 Tar Hole Inlet
Tar Hole Inlet is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and weakfish. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, weakfish and red drum, and shoulder season for king mackerel, summer flounder, crevalle jack and striped bass. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish 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.
- Bluefish
- Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Hatteras Inlet68
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: BluefishPeak season- Bluefish 68
- Little tunny 68
- Weakfish 64
18 kt NEL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:00 AM · 1.9 ft
- Legged Lump66
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: BluefishPeak season- Bluefish 66
- Little tunny 64
- Florida pompano 60
18 kt NEL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:00 AM · 1.9 ft
- Shingle Creek65
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: BluefishPeak season- Bluefish 65
- Red drum 61
- Weakfish 61
18 kt NEL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:00 AM · 1.9 ft
- Cockrel Creek64
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 64
- Red drum 61
- Bluefish 59
18 kt NEL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:00 AM · 1.9 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.