Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Boranges Point

35.92°N · 75.91°W · Cape · Alligator River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker

80/100Great
Now
675 PM EST
Best window
5-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High0.5 ft

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

Notify me when Boranges Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score54Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind8 kn ENEgusts 17 · steady
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy72% cloud
Water64°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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Boranges Point

Depth
1-8 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Boranges Point

Boranges Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

  • Broad Creek

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    73
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 73
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spotted seatrout 69

    5 kt NEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Deep Bay

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    73
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 73
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spotted seatrout 68

    5 kt NEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Northeast Prong

    Bay · 3.3 mi

    73
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 73
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spotted seatrout 67

    5 kt NEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Deer Creek

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 72
    • Spotted seatrout 71

    5 kt NEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 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.