UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Weakfish75
- Spot73
- Atlantic croaker72
- Little tunny69
- Red drum69
- Southern flounder69
- Spotted seatrout69
- Black sea bass68
- Bluefish68
- Black drum67
- Sheepshead64
- Gag grouper63
- Summer flounder63
- Red snapper60
- Florida pompano58
- Striped bass58
- Crevalle jack51
- King mackerel50
- Greater amberjack47
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 724 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 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
Wednesday, Nov 11 · 1 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
18Wind: 13 kt WNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
86Water temp: 66°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
66Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 · 4 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 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 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, spot and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for weakfish, little tunny, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and sheepshead. Weakfish peak from October through November. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Hooker Gut79
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 79
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
9 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft
- Deer Creek75
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 75
- Red drum 74
- Southern flounder 73
7 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft
- Broad Creek75
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 75
- Southern flounder 73
- Spot 73
7 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northeast Prong75
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 75
- Spot 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
9 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 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.