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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all69
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot68
- Weakfish68
- Spotted seatrout67
- Red drum66
- Southern flounder64
- Black drum58
- Black sea bass56
- Summer flounder54
- Florida pompano53
- Sheepshead49
- Bluefish48
- Little tunny48
- Striped bass48
- Gag grouper47
- Red snapper43
- King mackerel38
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Crevalle jack34
- Gray triggerfish32
- Greater amberjack32
- Red grouper32
- Spanish mackerel28
- Cobia25
Best score today · 6 AM · Weakfish
- Now
- 692 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Buzzard Lead 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
85Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 62°F, coolLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
84Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Buzzard Lead
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Buzzard Lead
Buzzard Lead is a gut in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
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
- Sanders Creek69
Gut · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Weakfish 68
- Spot 67
3 kt NEH 2:20 AM · 3.4 ftL 8:22 AM · 0.7 ft
- Fosters Channel69
Gut · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 68
- Weakfish 68
3 kt NEH 2:20 AM · 3.4 ftL 8:22 AM · 0.7 ft
- Wells Creek67
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 67
- Spotted seatrout 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
3 kt NEH 2:20 AM · 3.4 ftL 8:22 AM · 0.7 ft
- Piney Cove67
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 67
- Spotted seatrout 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
3 kt NEH 2:20 AM · 3.4 ftL 8:22 AM · 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.