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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot62
- Red drum61
- Southern flounder60
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Spotted seatrout56
- Crevalle jack54
- Summer flounder52
- Gray snapper51
- King mackerel50
- Weakfish47
- Black drum46
- Red snapper44
- Cobia43
- Florida pompano43
- Black sea bass41
- Gray triggerfish40
- Spanish mackerel40
- Gag grouper39
- Red grouper39
- Sheepshead38
- Greater amberjack36
- Little tunny36
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 3 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 361 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-5 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.8 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 5 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
99Water 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 red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, red snapper and cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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
- Core Creek62
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Red drum 61
8 kt NNEH 6:36 AM · 3.0 ftL 12:46 PM · 0.5 ft
- Ware Creek62
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Red drum 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
8 kt NNEH 6:36 AM · 3.0 ftL 12:46 PM · 0.5 ft
- Oyster Creek62
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Red drum 62
- Spot 62
8 kt NNEH 6:36 AM · 3.0 ftL 12:46 PM · 0.5 ft
- White Rock62
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
- Southern flounder 59
8 kt NNEH 6:36 AM · 3.0 ftL 12:46 PM · 0.5 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.