Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Graveyard Point

35.19°N · 76.65°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

69/100Great
Now
4910 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-1 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score49Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind13 kn NNEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherOvercast94% cloud
Water82°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina

Spot profile

Graveyard Point

Depth
Up to 5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Graveyard Point

Graveyard Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is up to 5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and gag grouper. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Darby Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    59
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • King mackerel 59
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    13 kt NNEH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Windmill Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    59
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • King mackerel 59
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    13 kt NNEH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Bell Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    59
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • King mackerel 59
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    13 kt NNEH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Smith Creek Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    59
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • King mackerel 59
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    13 kt NNEH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 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.