UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack47
- King mackerel47
- Florida pompano41
- Black sea bass38
- Red snapper36
- Gray snapper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Summer flounder35
- Little tunny34
- Sheepshead33
- Bluefish32
- Gag grouper32
- Gray triggerfish32
- Red grouper31
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Red drum30
- Southern flounder30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Weakfish30
- Greater amberjack28
Best score today · 2 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 304 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 Whalebone 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
Wednesday, Sep 30 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
79Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 11 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
87Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
59Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of 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
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Whalebone Inlet
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · ProtectedInlet · 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 Whalebone Inlet
Whalebone Inlet is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and protected.
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, gray snapper and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. 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
- Merkle Hammock50
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 50
- King mackerel 49
- Summer flounder 48
15 kt NNEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- High Hills Inlet47
Channel · 0.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 47
- King mackerel 47
- Florida pompano 41
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Royal Point Bay47
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 47
- King mackerel 44
- Florida pompano 42
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Daniel Swash44
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 44
- King mackerel 42
- Red snapper 36
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.