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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker67
- Spot67
- Florida pompano66
- Red drum64
- Atlantic tarpon62
- King mackerel58
- Southern flounder58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Summer flounder58
- Gray snapper55
- Crevalle jack54
- Black drum53
- Spanish mackerel51
- Red snapper49
- Black sea bass46
- Weakfish46
- Gray triggerfish45
- Little tunny45
- Gag grouper44
- Red grouper44
- Greater amberjack42
- Cobia41
- Sheepshead41
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 3 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 465 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bird Shoal 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
50Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bird Shoal
- Depth
- 4-6 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Bird Shoal
Bird Shoal is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 4-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano 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.
- 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
- Beaufort Channel76
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 66
10 kt NNEL 11:44 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:05 PM · 3.7 ft
- Beaufort Inlet76
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Florida pompano 67
10 kt NNEL 11:44 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:05 PM · 3.7 ft
- Morehead City Channel76
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 67
10 kt NNEH 5:50 AM · 3.0 ftL 11:51 AM · 0.7 ft
- Carrot Island Channel74
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 68
10 kt NNEH 6:25 AM · 2.7 ftL 12:21 PM · 0.6 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.