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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot77
- Crevalle jack72
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Gray snapper69
- Red drum68
- Summer flounder68
- King mackerel66
- Southern flounder65
- Black drum64
- Spotted seatrout64
- Sheepshead61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Cobia60
- Black sea bass59
- Gray triggerfish59
- Red snapper59
- Weakfish59
- Gag grouper58
- Red grouper58
- Little tunny57
- Greater amberjack53
- Florida pompano52
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 5311 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Deep 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
Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
98Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
95Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Deep Bay
- Depth
- 1-2 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 Deep Bay
Deep Bay is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel and cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- Broad Creek77
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 72
9 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Deer Creek76
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 76
- Red drum 73
9 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Hooker Gut74
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 68
10 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northeast Prong70
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 68
10 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 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.