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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot61
- Red drum60
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Florida pompano57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Southern flounder56
- Gray snapper53
- Summer flounder51
- Crevalle jack50
- Black drum49
- King mackerel49
- Spanish mackerel48
- Little tunny41
- Red snapper40
- Weakfish40
- Gray triggerfish38
- Black sea bass37
- Cobia37
- Gag grouper36
- Greater amberjack36
- Red grouper36
- Bluefish35
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 3611 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
38Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 2 kt SSEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC
29Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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 · 10 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 red drum. 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 little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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 Point62
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- Red drum 60
2 kt SSEL 6:41 AM · 0.4 ftH 11:15 PM · 0.5 ft
- Cooper Point62
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- Red drum 60
2 kt SSEL 6:41 AM · 0.4 ftH 11:15 PM · 0.5 ft
- Live Oak Point62
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- Red drum 60
2 kt SSEL 6:41 AM · 0.4 ftH 11:15 PM · 0.5 ft
- Rowland Point62
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- Red drum 60
2 kt SSEL 6:41 AM · 0.4 ftH 11:15 PM · 0.5 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.