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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot64
- Crevalle jack63
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Gray snapper59
- Red drum58
- King mackerel56
- Summer flounder56
- Florida pompano54
- Southern flounder53
- Spanish mackerel52
- Black drum51
- Spotted seatrout51
- Gray triggerfish49
- Black sea bass48
- Red snapper48
- Gag grouper47
- Red grouper47
- Sheepshead47
- Weakfish47
- Cobia45
- Little tunny45
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 487 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMMoving water
Data from: ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bull 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
Open-Meteo Marine
92Current: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.3 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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 today
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
Bull Bay
- Depth
- 9-15 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 Bull Bay
Bull Bay is a bay in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 9-15 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- Bull Point62
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
- Atlantic croaker 60
12 kt NE
- Drummond Point61
Cape · 9.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 59
- Crevalle jack 58
12 kt NE
- Reed Point61
Cape · 12 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Atlantic croaker 60
12 kt NE
- Bluff Point55
Cape · 8.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 55
- King mackerel 55
- Little tunny 54
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.