Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Stumpy Point

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

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Best score today · 7 PM · Black sea bass

76/100Great
Now
485 AM EDT
Best window
4-8 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score48Good
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind5 kn NNEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 3 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy21% cloud
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina

Spot profile

Stumpy Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 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 red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    5 kt NNEH 5:29 AM · 0.6 ftL 11:57 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 75
    • Atlantic tarpon 62

    5 kt NNEH 5:29 AM · 0.6 ftL 11:57 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    5 kt NNEL 11:26 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:44 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    5 kt NNEH 5:29 AM · 0.6 ftL 11:57 AM · 0.3 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.