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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker58
- Spot58
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Gray snapper55
- Southern flounder55
- Spotted seatrout55
- Red drum54
- Crevalle jack53
- Summer flounder53
- Weakfish52
- King mackerel48
- Black drum46
- Florida pompano45
- Little tunny45
- Sheepshead43
- Spanish mackerel42
- Black sea bass41
- Cobia41
- Red snapper41
- Gag grouper38
- Gray triggerfish37
- Red grouper37
- Greater amberjack36
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 4112 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-10 AMNight bite
Data from: ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Batchelor Bay 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 · 12 AM · now
- —
Tide & current
Wind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
7Light: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Batchelor Bay
- Depth
- 8-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Batchelor Bay
Batchelor Bay is a bay in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 8-10 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, Florida pompano and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- 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
- Swan Bay58
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 58
- Atlantic tarpon 57
9 kt NE
- Black Walnut Point53
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 53
- Atlantic croaker 52
- Spot 52
9 kt NE
- Reedy Point53
Cape · 6.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 53
- Atlantic croaker 52
- Spot 52
9 kt NE
- Cherry Point48
Cape · 7.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 48
- Spot 48
- Atlantic tarpon 48
13 kt NE
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.