UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all70
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot70
- Weakfish68
- Spotted seatrout67
- Red drum65
- Southern flounder63
- Florida pompano60
- Black drum59
- Black sea bass56
- Bluefish56
- Little tunny56
- Summer flounder55
- Sheepshead53
- Gag grouper52
- Striped bass51
- Red snapper48
- King mackerel41
- Crevalle jack38
- Greater amberjack36
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia33
Best score today · 7 AM · Weakfish
- Now
- 702 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bellows 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
Saturday, Nov 14 · 6 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
79Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
78Water temp: 64°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bellows Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 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 Bellows Bay
Bellows Bay is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 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, spotted seatrout, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and summer flounder. 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
- Buck Island Bay71
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 71
- Spot 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
3 kt NEL 8:29 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:47 PM · 3.7 ft
- Little Bellows Bay70
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Weakfish 68
3 kt NEL 8:29 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:47 PM · 3.7 ft
- Sandy Cove70
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Weakfish 68
3 kt NEL 8:29 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:47 PM · 3.7 ft
- Halfway Point65
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spotted seatrout 63
3 kt NEL 8:29 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:47 PM · 3.7 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.