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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot69
- Spotted seatrout62
- Weakfish62
- Red drum60
- Florida pompano59
- Southern flounder57
- Bluefish54
- Little tunny54
- Black drum53
- Black sea bass52
- Striped bass49
- Summer flounder49
- Gag grouper48
- Sheepshead48
- Red snapper44
- King mackerel36
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Crevalle jack35
- Gray snapper35
- Red grouper34
- Gray triggerfish33
- Greater amberjack32
- Spanish mackerel30
- Cobia28
Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 692 AM EST
- Best window
- 5-9 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.4 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
Sunday, Nov 15 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 4 kt SEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
99Water temp: 65°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
62Season: 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 Atlantic croaker, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, weakfish, red drum and Florida pompano, 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
- Hooker Gut72
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Spotted seatrout 65
8 kt NEL 10:17 AM · 0.2 ftH 4:58 PM · 0.5 ft
- Deer Creek69
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spotted seatrout 66
4 kt NEL 10:17 AM · 0.2 ftH 4:58 PM · 0.5 ft
- Broad Creek69
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Red drum 63
4 kt NEL 10:17 AM · 0.2 ftH 4:58 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northeast Prong69
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spotted seatrout 62
8 kt NEL 10:17 AM · 0.2 ftH 4:58 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.