UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all70
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot70
- Weakfish67
- Florida pompano66
- Spotted seatrout66
- Red drum65
- Little tunny62
- Southern flounder61
- Summer flounder59
- Black drum58
- Black sea bass58
- Bluefish57
- Gag grouper54
- Sheepshead53
- Striped bass51
- Red snapper47
- King mackerel46
- Crevalle jack43
- Greater amberjack39
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 AM · Weakfish
- Now
- 704 PM EST
- Best window
- 6-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cedar Bush 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 2 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 5 kt NNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 65°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Weakfish
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cedar Bush Bay
- Depth
- 1-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Cedar Bush Bay
Cedar Bush Bay is a bay in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and weakfish. It is peak season now for weakfish, Florida pompano, spotted seatrout and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Weakfish peak from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Oyster Creek73
Gut · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Weakfish 71
5 kt NEL 10:45 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:11 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cut Through73
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Weakfish 71
5 kt NEL 10:45 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:11 AM · 0.5 ft
- Croatan Sound73
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Weakfish 69
5 kt NEL 10:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:05 AM · 0.5 ft
- Oyster Creek70
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Red drum 69
6 kt ENEL 10:21 PM · 0.1 ftH 4:34 AM · 0.6 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.