Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Coinjock Bay

36.40°N · 75.97°W · Bay · Currituck Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 3 AM · Greater amberjack

54/100Good
Now
408 AM EDT
Best window
8-11 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score40Fair
Tide2.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind19 kn NEgusts 29 · steady
Sea stateRough5.5 ft · 7 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast82% chance of rain
Water78°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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in North Carolina

Spot profile

Coinjock Bay

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Coinjock Bay

Coinjock 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 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, black sea bass and gag grouper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black sea bass, gag grouper, red snapper and gray triggerfish. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Gag grouper peak from November through December.

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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Long Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    54
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 54
    • Black sea bass 45
    • Gag grouper 44

    19 kt NEL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:54 PM · 3.7 ft

  • Goose Castle

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    54
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 54
    • Black sea bass 50
    • Gag grouper 44

    19 kt NEL 11:38 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:01 PM · 3.9 ft

  • Wolf House Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    54
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 54
    • Black sea bass 44
    • Gag grouper 44

    19 kt NEL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:54 PM · 3.7 ft

  • Cedar Island Bay

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    54
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 54
    • Black sea bass 44
    • Gag grouper 44

    19 kt NEL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:54 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.