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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker65
- Spot64
- Summer flounder64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- King mackerel63
- Florida pompano62
- Crevalle jack61
- Red drum60
- Black drum59
- Gray snapper59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Southern flounder57
- Spotted seatrout55
- Black sea bass52
- Gray triggerfish52
- Gag grouper51
- Little tunny51
- Red snapper51
- Red grouper50
- Cobia49
- Sheepshead49
- Weakfish49
- Greater amberjack46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 461 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Garbacon 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
39Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
78Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 today
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
Garbacon Shoal
- Depth
- 7-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Garbacon Shoal
Garbacon Shoal is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 7-10 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 summer flounder. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder 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. Summer flounder peak from September 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
- Sandy Point69
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Atlantic croaker 65
9 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Winthrop Point65
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 64
- King mackerel 63
9 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Whittaker Point65
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 64
- King mackerel 63
9 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Chadwick Point65
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 64
- King mackerel 63
9 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.