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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout76
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot75
- Florida pompano74
- Red drum74
- Little tunny72
- Weakfish72
- Southern flounder70
- Bluefish68
- Black sea bass67
- Black drum66
- Gag grouper64
- Sheepshead63
- Striped bass62
- Summer flounder62
- Red snapper57
- Crevalle jack53
- King mackerel50
- Greater amberjack49
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 9 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 758 AM EST
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Northeast Prong 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 8 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
96Water temp: 67°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
71Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 · 3 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Northeast Prong
- Depth
- About 1 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 Northeast Prong
Northeast Prong is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker and spot. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, Florida pompano, red drum and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and sheepshead. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Deer Creek81
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 81
- Red drum 79
- Atlantic croaker 75
9 kt SL 1:22 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:45 PM · 0.4 ft
- Liehue Gut79
Gut · 0.6 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 79
- Atlantic croaker 78
- Red drum 78
8 kt SL 1:22 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:45 PM · 0.4 ft
- Hooker Gut79
Gut · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spotted seatrout 79
- Red drum 77
8 kt SL 1:22 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:45 PM · 0.4 ft
- Deep Bay77
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 77
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 75
9 kt SL 1:22 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:45 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.