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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · South Carolina
Bottle Channel
33.20°N · 79.16°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Murrells Inlet to South Santee River SC out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot67
- Florida pompano66
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Crevalle jack59
- Gray snapper58
- Red drum58
- King mackerel57
- Summer flounder55
- Southern flounder52
- Spanish mackerel51
- Black sea bass50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Black drum49
- Mahi-mahi46
- Weakfish46
- Little tunny45
- Red snapper45
- Gray triggerfish44
- Gag grouper43
- Red grouper43
- Sheepshead42
- Greater amberjack41
- Wahoo39
- Cobia38
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 386 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bottle Channel 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
39Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 11 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
37Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
58Season: 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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.
Source: SCDNR · 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
Bottle Channel
- Depth
- 10-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · 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 Bottle Channel
Bottle Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Murrells Inlet to South Santee River SC out 20 NM, South Carolina. Depth is 10-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak 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.
- 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Winyah Bay Entrance69
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 65
- Spot 64
11 kt NNEL 11:35 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:08 PM · 5.2 ft
- North Breakers68
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Florida pompano 66
- Spot 66
11 kt NNEL 11:35 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:08 PM · 5.2 ft
- South Breakers68
Bar · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Florida pompano 66
- Spot 66
11 kt NNEL 11:35 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:08 PM · 5.2 ft
- East Bank66
Bar · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Florida pompano 65
- Spot 63
11 kt NNEL 11:35 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:08 PM · 5.2 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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.