Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Bonner Bay

35.16°N · 76.59°W · Bay · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 2 AM · Greater amberjack

77/100Great
Now
442 PM EDT
Best window
3 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score44Fair
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind13 kn ENEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 3 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast88% chance of rain
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in North Carolina

Spot profile

Bonner Bay

Depth
5-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Bonner Bay

Bonner Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

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

  • Sheephead Creek

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Spot 64

    13 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Bryan Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 63
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    13 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Davis Island Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Spot 58

    13 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Bryan Shoal

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Florida pompano 59

    13 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 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.