Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Rock Point

35.93°N · 76.05°W · Cape · Alligator River

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Best score today · 6 PM · Greater amberjack

75/100Great
Now
523 PM EDT
Best window
3-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score52Good
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward W
Wind7 kn Egusts 15 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 6 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy91% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 10 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 10 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in North Carolina

Spot profile

Rock Point

Depth
1-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Rock Point

Rock Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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 crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, little tunny, 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

  • Long Shoal Point

    Cape · 2.9 mi

    74
    Top: Southern flounderPeak season
    • Southern flounder 74
    • Red drum 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 71

    7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Middle Ground

    Bar · 4.7 mi

    74
    Top: Southern flounderPeak season
    • Southern flounder 74
    • Red drum 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 72

    7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Sandy Point Shoal

    Bar · 3.4 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 70
    • Summer flounder 69

    7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Lewis Point

    Cape · 4.5 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 70
    • Crevalle jack 65

    7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 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.