Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder season

Channel · North Carolina

Church Island Channel

36.40°N · 75.92°W · Channel · Currituck Sound

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Best score today · 8 AM · Greater amberjack

83/100Great
Now
401 PM EDT
Best window
3-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score40Fair
Tide3.6 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind4 kn SSEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 7 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Greater amberjack 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 Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 10 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 10 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in North Carolina

Spot profile

Church Island Channel

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGreater amberjack

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 Church Island Channel

Church Island Channel is a channel in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, sheepshead and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.

Tackle & technique

Greater amberjack
Amberjack school around wrecks, oil rigs, towers and high-relief reefs in 60 to 250 feet, often suspended well above the bottom. Drop a live blue runner or work a heavy jig through the school, then pump hard, because a big AJ runs straight back into the structure. Heavy conventional gear with 50 to 80 pound line is standard.
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

  • Cedar Island Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 72
    • Red drum 68

    4 kt SSEL 7:06 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:42 AM · 2.8 ft

  • Goose Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 62

    4 kt SSEL 7:13 PM · 1.2 ftH 12:49 AM · 3.0 ft

  • Gray Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 59

    4 kt SSEL 7:06 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:42 AM · 2.8 ft

  • Wolf House Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 59

    4 kt SSEL 7:06 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:42 AM · 2.8 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.