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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot66
- Florida pompano61
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Southern flounder53
- Red drum52
- Summer flounder52
- Gray snapper51
- King mackerel50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Crevalle jack49
- Black drum47
- Spanish mackerel45
- Weakfish42
- Little tunny41
- Red snapper40
- Cobia38
- Black sea bass37
- Gray triggerfish37
- Gag grouper36
- Greater amberjack36
- Red grouper36
- Bluefish35
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 10 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 3611 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- High0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hampton 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 5 kt WNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC
75Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
41Season: 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 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
Hampton Shoal
- Depth
- 6-9 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 Hampton Shoal
Hampton Shoal is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 6-9 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, Atlantic tarpon and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. 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
- 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
- Creek Point66
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 58
7 kt NNEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Cooper Point66
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 58
7 kt NNEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Live Oak Point66
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 58
7 kt NNEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Rowland Point66
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 58
7 kt NNEH 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.