Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Bluff Point

36.03°N · 76.46°W · Cape · Albemarle Sound

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Best score today · 9 AM · Black sea bass

58/100Good
Now
467 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMNight bite

Data from: ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score46Good
Wind12 kn NEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast84% chance of rain

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

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

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina

Spot profile

Bluff Point

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Bluff Point

Bluff Point is a cape in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and little tunny. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for little tunny, Florida pompano, weakfish and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from October through November.

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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
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

  • Bull Point

    Cape · 6.7 mi

    62
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 62
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    12 kt NE

  • Drummond Point

    Cape · 4.1 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Spot 59
    • Crevalle jack 58

    12 kt NE

  • Horniblow Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    53
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 53
    • King mackerel 52
    • Little tunny 52

    12 kt NE

  • Cherry Point

    Cape · 8.1 mi

    53
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 53
    • King mackerel 52
    • Little tunny 52

    12 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.