Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bay · North Carolina

Deep Bay

35.89°N · 75.90°W · Bay · Alligator River

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Best score today · 6 AM · Black sea bass

78/100Great
Now
702 PM EST
Best window
2-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 7 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score70Great
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind6 kn WNWgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water65°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Deep Bay

Depth
1-2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBlack sea bass

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 25 species here; the best right now are weakfish, black sea bass and little tunny. It is peak season now for weakfish, black sea bass, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and sheepshead. Weakfish peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
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

  • Deer Creek

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Weakfish 71
    • Black sea bass 70

    9 kt NEH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ftL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Broad Creek

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    71
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 71
    • Black sea bass 70
    • Spot 70

    9 kt NEH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ftL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Hooker Gut

    Gut · 2.2 mi

    71
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Weakfish 70
    • Atlantic croaker 68

    10 kt NEH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ftL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Northeast Prong

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    66
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Little tunny 66
    • Weakfish 66

    10 kt NEH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ftL 10:19 PM · 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.