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Atlantic croakerPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker64
- Spot64
- King mackerel59
- Florida pompano58
- Crevalle jack57
- Gray snapper51
- Red drum50
- Summer flounder50
- Spanish mackerel47
- Black drum45
- Black sea bass45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red snapper45
- Gag grouper44
- Red grouper44
- Little tunny43
- Sheepshead42
- Greater amberjack39
- Weakfish38
- Cobia37
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 646 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Albemarle Sound 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 + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
32Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.9 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Albemarle Sound
- Depth
- About 15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Albemarle Sound
Albemarle Sound is a bay in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Sampson Point57
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 57
- Florida pompano 55
13 kt NEL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ft
- Pig Point57
Cape · 4.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 57
- Florida pompano 55
13 kt NEL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ft
- Shellbank Point56
Cape · 4.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- Florida pompano 53
13 kt NEL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ft
- Long Point56
Cape · 5.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- Florida pompano 53
13 kt NEL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.3 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.