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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker61
- Spot60
- Red drum59
- Crevalle jack58
- King mackerel54
- Gray snapper53
- Summer flounder52
- Black drum51
- Red snapper50
- Black sea bass47
- Gray triggerfish47
- Gag grouper46
- Red grouper46
- Florida pompano45
- Weakfish45
- Greater amberjack41
- Sheepshead41
- Cobia40
- Spanish mackerel40
- Little tunny38
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 10 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 4711 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Deer Creek 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
82Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
60Wind: 14 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
49Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
51Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Deer Creek
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Deer Creek
Deer Creek is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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.
- 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
- Deep Bay61
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- Crevalle jack 58
14 kt NEL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 AM · 0.4 ft
- Hooker Gut56
Gut · 0.8 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 56
- King mackerel 52
- Black sea bass 50
16 kt NEL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 AM · 0.4 ft
- Northeast Prong56
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 56
- King mackerel 52
- Florida pompano 48
16 kt NEL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 AM · 0.4 ft
- Liehue Gut56
Gut · 1.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 56
- King mackerel 52
- Black sea bass 50
16 kt NEL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 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.