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
631 AM EDT
Best window
5-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score55Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind3 kn NNEgusts 17 · steady
Air temp54°Cool
WeatherMostly cloudy52% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

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 bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, bluefish and southern flounder, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    75
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 75
    • Southern flounder 70
    • Spotted seatrout 70

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    72
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 72
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Southern flounder 69

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Weakfish 66
    • Bluefish 65

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Weakfish 67
    • Southern flounder 65

    6 kt NEH 1:14 AM · 0.4 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.2 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.