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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker56
- Spot56
- Atlantic tarpon54
- Spotted seatrout54
- Crevalle jack53
- Gray snapper53
- Red drum53
- Southern flounder52
- Summer flounder52
- Weakfish51
- King mackerel48
- Black drum45
- Florida pompano45
- Little tunny44
- Sheepshead42
- Black sea bass41
- Red snapper41
- Spanish mackerel41
- Cobia40
- Gag grouper38
- Gray triggerfish37
- Red grouper37
- Greater amberjack36
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 362 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-10 AMDawn
Data from: ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Swan 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 · 2 AM · now
- —
Tide & current
Wind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
7Light: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
42Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Greater amberjack 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 Greater amberjack is best here
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Swan Bay
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonGreater amberjack
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 Swan Bay
Swan Bay is a bay in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 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 spotted seatrout, 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
- Greater amberjack
- Amberjack school around wrecks, oil rigs, towers and high-relief reefs in 60 to 250 feet, often suspended well above the bottom. Drop a live blue runner or work a heavy jig through the school, then pump hard, because a big AJ runs straight back into the structure. Heavy conventional gear with 50 to 80 pound line is standard.
- 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
- Batchelor Bay56
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- Spotted seatrout 54
10 kt NNE
- Black Walnut Point51
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 51
- Spot 51
- Atlantic tarpon 50
10 kt NNE
- Reedy Point51
Cape · 6.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 51
- Spot 51
- Atlantic tarpon 50
10 kt NNE
- Horniblow Point47
Cape · 7.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 47
- Spot 47
- Atlantic tarpon 46
14 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.