Sight-casting for cobia remains the marquee event on the Outer Banks this week. Fish are cruising the nearshore waters and showing around the buoys, shoals, and bait pods off Oregon Inlet and Hatteras. Bucktails and live eels pitched to sighted fish have been the proven approach on the calm, clear days when spotting is good.
In the surf and around the points, red drum are providing action on cut bait, with both slot fish and the occasional bigger drum in the mix. The sound side has held drum and speckled trout around the marshes and structure on the moving tides.
Nearshore, Spanish mackerel are blitzing bait along the beaches and around the inlets, taking trolled spoons and casting jigs, and a few king mackerel are working the nearshore reefs and structure. Bluefish are mixed into the surf action for beach anglers.
Flounder are filling back in around the inlets and structure, and sea mullet (kingfish) and pompano are showing in the surf for bottom anglers fishing fresh shrimp and Fishbites. Offshore, the Gulf Stream mahi and billfish action has been solid for boats making the run.
Calm-water windows make the cobia sight-fishing, so watch the forecast and get out early. The cobia and drum bite should hold through June as the nearshore water continues to warm.
Spots & Access This Week
The cobia run is tapering but still worth a look, with sight-casting opportunities near Oregon Inlet and along the sound-side shoals on calm days, while Spanish mackerel and bluefish are thick along the beaches and around the inlet. Oregon Inlet’s public ramp at the marina is the staging point for both the nearshore cobia grounds and the inlet itself. Down the banks, the Avon and Hatteras areas put you closer to the Point and the deeper nearshore water for kings and the tail end of the cobia.
Surf and pier anglers are taking Spanish, bluefish, and pompano on the beaches, with the cleaner morning water fishing best.
This Week’s Tip
For cobia, run the calm, sunny mornings and post a spotter high on the tower — fish cruise just under the surface and a bucktail or eel pitched ahead of a sighted fish is the standard move. For Spanish and blues, troll or cast small flashy spoons and metals through the bird activity off the beaches. The OBX wind dictates everything here, so pick your day around a light-wind, clean-water window. Confirm current North Carolina and federal cobia regulations and seasons before keeping a fish.