Inshore Hatteras · Pamlico Sound
Cobia
Rachycentron canadum · also called Lemon Fish, Ling
The big-fish target. May and June migration through Hatteras Inlet.
Cobia migrate up the East Coast each spring and the Hatteras Inlet funnel puts them in casting range from late May into June. These are big fish, often over 50 pounds, and the kid who hooks one remembers it forever.
We sight-cast in calm conditions, scanning the surface for the brown shape. When they're holding deep on the buoys, we drop jigs or live eels. Keep your knots checked.
A son on a recent charter caught his first cobia. The photo's in the gallery.
Repeat customer: "Once my son caught a cobia, which was pretty exciting."
When to book
Cobia season at a glance.
Book a cobia trip
Target cobia with Captain Doug.
Half-day or full-day. Out of Teach's Lair, Hatteras NC. Call Doug to confirm peak-season dates.
More target species
