UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot69
- Southern flounder68
- Red drum67
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Spotted seatrout62
- Crevalle jack60
- Gray snapper58
- Summer flounder57
- King mackerel55
- Black drum54
- Weakfish52
- Red snapper51
- Black sea bass48
- Cobia48
- Gray triggerfish48
- Spanish mackerel48
- Gag grouper47
- Red grouper46
- Sheepshead45
- Florida pompano44
- Little tunny43
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 3 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 4212 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-5 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bell Creek 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 5 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
96Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
42Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bell Creek
- Depth
- 1-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Bell Creek
Bell Creek is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and southern flounder. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, southern flounder and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, weakfish, red snapper and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Southern flounder peak from September 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
- Ware Creek70
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
8 kt NL 12:54 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:36 AM · 3.0 ft
- Oyster Creek70
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
8 kt NL 12:54 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:36 AM · 3.0 ft
- White Rock70
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Red drum 69
- Southern flounder 67
8 kt NL 12:54 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:36 AM · 3.0 ft
- Core Creek69
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Southern flounder 68
8 kt NL 12:54 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:36 AM · 3.0 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.