Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Stumpy Point

35.76°N · 75.99°W · Cape · Alligator River

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Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker

80/100Great
Now
673 AM EST
Best window
5-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 7 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score68Great
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind4 kn NNEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 6 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water66°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Stumpy Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Stumpy Point

Stumpy Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, bluefish and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
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.
Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Weakfish 69
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    6 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 68
    • Weakfish 65

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 70
    • Florida pompano 61

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 58

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 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.