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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot72
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Southern flounder67
- Red drum66
- Spotted seatrout63
- Crevalle jack62
- Summer flounder61
- King mackerel59
- Florida pompano58
- Gray snapper55
- Black drum53
- Cobia52
- Weakfish52
- Spanish mackerel50
- Black sea bass43
- Gag grouper43
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red snapper43
- Greater amberjack42
- Little tunny42
- Red grouper42
- Sheepshead41
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 426 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Babbitt 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
24Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: 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 · 10 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Babbitt Bay
- Depth
- 3-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Babbitt Bay
Babbitt Bay is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 3-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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 southern flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, cobia and weakfish. 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
- The Straits75
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
3 kt WNWH 6:52 AM · 0.6 ftL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- Grapevine Bay75
Bay · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 66
3 kt WNWH 6:52 AM · 0.6 ftL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- The Frying Pan69
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Southern flounder 65
3 kt WNWH 6:52 AM · 0.6 ftL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- Orange Point67
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 62
3 kt WNWH 6:52 AM · 0.6 ftL 1:02 PM · 0.3 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.