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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Spot67
- Red drum65
- Crevalle jack64
- Southern flounder64
- Summer flounder62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- King mackerel61
- Spotted seatrout58
- Gray snapper57
- Black drum53
- Cobia53
- Florida pompano53
- Spanish mackerel52
- Weakfish52
- Black sea bass50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red snapper50
- Gag grouper49
- Red grouper49
- Sheepshead47
- Greater amberjack44
- Little tunny44
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 11 PM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 4412 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 Harper Creek 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
36Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water 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
Harper Creek
- Depth
- 1-8 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Harper Creek
Harper Creek is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
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 crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, cobia, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel. 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
- Swan Point64
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 63
- Atlantic tarpon 62
7 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Chapel Creek Point64
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 63
- Atlantic tarpon 62
7 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Powers Point64
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 63
- King mackerel 62
7 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Lambert Point63
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 62
- King mackerel 61
7 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.