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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all72
- Atlantic croaker72
- Weakfish72
- Spot69
- Black sea bass68
- Red drum68
- Spotted seatrout67
- Black drum63
- Florida pompano63
- Summer flounder61
- Southern flounder60
- Bluefish59
- Gag grouper59
- Little tunny59
- Sheepshead58
- Striped bass58
- Red snapper56
- Crevalle jack48
- Greater amberjack46
- King mackerel46
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 PM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 7212 AM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Banks 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
Tuesday, Nov 10 · 1 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 9 kt WSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 68°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.5 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of range
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 · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Banks Channel
- Depth
- 5-8 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 Banks Channel
Banks Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-8 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, weakfish and spot. It is peak season now for weakfish, black sea bass, red drum and spotted seatrout, 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
- Browns Inlet72
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Weakfish 72
- Florida pompano 69
8 kt NNEH 1:08 AM · 2.8 ftL 7:08 AM · 0.4 ft
- Sanders Creek72
Gut · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Weakfish 72
- Red drum 70
6 kt NNEH 1:05 AM · 2.1 ftL 7:06 AM · 0.4 ft
- Browns Sound69
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
8 kt NNEH 1:08 AM · 2.8 ftL 7:08 AM · 0.4 ft
- Onslow Bay69
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Florida pompano 68
8 kt NNEH 1:08 AM · 2.8 ftL 7:08 AM · 0.4 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.