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Little tunnyShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot78
- Crevalle jack75
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum71
- Spotted seatrout71
- Summer flounder70
- King mackerel69
- Southern flounder69
- Florida pompano66
- Black drum65
- Spanish mackerel64
- Sheepshead62
- Weakfish62
- Black sea bass60
- Cobia60
- Gag grouper60
- Gray triggerfish60
- Little tunny60
- Red snapper60
- Red grouper59
- Greater amberjack54
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 606 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rattlesnake 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
80Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
66Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here
Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Rattlesnake Bay
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLittle tunny
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 Rattlesnake Bay
Rattlesnake Bay is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- 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
- Grapevine Bay78
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 78
- Crevalle jack 75
8 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Cypress Point75
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Spotted seatrout 74
- Atlantic tarpon 73
8 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bear Point72
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
- Crevalle jack 69
8 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Newport News Point72
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
- Crevalle jack 69
8 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 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.