Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Jerry Bay

34.90°N · 76.67°W · Bay · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 10 PM · Greater amberjack

81/100Great
Now
563 PM EDT
Best window
3 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score56Good
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward W
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast79% chance of rain
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Greater amberjack is best here

Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in North Carolina

Spot profile

Jerry Bay

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Jerry Bay

Jerry Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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

  • Cedar Creek

    Bay · 2.8 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Spot 70
    • Crevalle jack 69

    10 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Great Neck Point

    Cape · 4.3 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 65
    • King mackerel 64

    10 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Winthrop Point

    Cape · 4.8 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 65
    • King mackerel 64

    10 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • King mackerel 63
    • Spot 62

    13 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.