Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Bear Point

35.68°N · 76.07°W · Cape · Alligator River

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Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker

78/100Great
Now
5711 PM EST
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 9 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score65Great
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind6 kn WNWgusts 11 · steady
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherOvercast97% cloud
Water66°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Bear Point

Depth
3-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Bear Point

Bear Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, little tunny, red drum and bluefish, and shoulder season for striped bass, spot, Atlantic croaker and black drum. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Red drum peak from August through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    75
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 73
    • Southern flounder 68

    4 kt ENEH 5:16 AM · 0.7 ftL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Stumpy Creek Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    71
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Red drum 69
    • Weakfish 66

    4 kt ENEH 5:16 AM · 0.7 ftL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Tuckahoe Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    67
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 67
    • Little tunny 65
    • Red drum 64

    4 kt ENEH 5:16 AM · 0.7 ftL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Newport News Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    67
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 67
    • Little tunny 65
    • Red drum 64

    4 kt ENEH 5:16 AM · 0.7 ftL 11:59 AM · 0.2 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.