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 · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

80/100Great
Now
635 AM EST
Best window
6-11 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.7 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 16 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score54Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind8 kn NNWgusts 18 · steady
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water66°FPersisted

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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

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 Atlantic croaker, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, weakfish, red drum and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and striped bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    70
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Red drum 67
    • Southern flounder 65

    4 kt NEL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Stumpy Creek Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 69
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Spotted seatrout 67

    4 kt NEL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Tuckahoe Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    65
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 65
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spotted seatrout 62

    4 kt NEL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Newport News Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Spot 63
    • Spotted seatrout 63

    4 kt NEL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:08 PM · 0.7 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.