Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Gut · North Carolina

Lone Oak Channel

36.29°N · 75.84°W · Gut · Currituck Sound

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Best score today · 3 AM · Black sea bass

60/100Good
Now
396 AM EDT
Best window
7-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High3.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score39Fair
Tide3.2 ftHigh
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward S
Wind15 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateRough5.4 ft · 7 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast49% chance of rain
Water78°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina

Spot profile

Lone Oak Channel

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Lone Oak Channel

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

Tackle & technique

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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Big Narrows

    Gut · 0.9 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spot 62
    • Florida pompano 59

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

  • Fosters Channel

    Gut · 0.3 mi

    51
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 51
    • King mackerel 46
    • Black sea bass 39

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

  • Sand Cove

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    50
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 50
    • King mackerel 46
    • Black sea bass 34

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

  • Burris Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    50
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 50
    • King mackerel 46
    • Black sea bass 34

    15 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.