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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all72
- Atlantic croaker72
- Weakfish71
- Spot70
- Spotted seatrout70
- Red drum69
- Black drum61
- Black sea bass61
- Southern flounder61
- Florida pompano57
- Summer flounder57
- Striped bass56
- Little tunny54
- Bluefish53
- Gag grouper53
- Sheepshead53
- Red snapper48
- King mackerel41
- Crevalle jack37
- Greater amberjack37
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel31
- Cobia28
Best score today · 6 AM · Weakfish
- Now
- 724 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Channel 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 7 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
71Water temp: 63°F, coolLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
82Season: 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
South Channel
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 South Channel
South Channel is a channel in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, weakfish and spot. It is peak season now for weakfish, spotted seatrout, red drum and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and summer flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Weakfish peak from October through November. Spot peak from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Currituck Bay72
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Spotted seatrout 71
- Atlantic croaker 68
7 kt SL 10:37 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:38 PM · 3.5 ft
- Knotts Island Bay72
Bay · 3.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Spotted seatrout 71
- Spot 69
7 kt SL 10:37 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:38 PM · 3.5 ft
- Sandy Cove69
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Red drum 68
7 kt SL 10:37 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:38 PM · 3.5 ft
- Goose Point63
Cape · 3.1 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Little tunny 62
7 kt SL 10:37 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:38 PM · 3.5 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.