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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot76
- Atlantic tarpon75
- Southern flounder73
- Crevalle jack69
- Red drum69
- Spotted seatrout68
- Gray snapper67
- Summer flounder67
- Black drum64
- King mackerel63
- Weakfish59
- Black sea bass58
- Florida pompano58
- Sheepshead56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Gag grouper53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red snapper53
- Red grouper52
- Cobia51
- Little tunny51
- Greater amberjack49
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 6 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 497 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hooker Gut 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
45Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 · 10 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hooker Gut
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Hooker Gut
Hooker Gut is a gut in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and southern flounder, and shoulder season for black drum, weakfish, black sea bass and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Liehue Gut78
Gut · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
4 kt WNWL 1:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northeast Prong75
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 72
4 kt WNWL 1:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ft
- Deep Bay75
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 71
4 kt WL 1:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ft
- Deer Creek74
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 74
- Southern flounder 73
4 kt WL 1:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:04 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.