Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerPeak season

Bay · North Carolina

Lookout Bight

34.62°N · 76.53°W · Bay · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Red drum

79/100Great
Now
682 PM EDT
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score68Great
Tide3.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 6 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy29% cloud
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina

Spot profile

Lookout Bight

Depth
5-15 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Lookout Bight

Lookout Bight is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, gray triggerfish and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Barden Inlet

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • Spot 68

    4 kt ENEL 6:44 PM · 1.5 ftH 12:42 AM · 3.3 ft

  • Blinds Hammock Bay

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Spot 67
    • Crevalle jack 66

    4 kt ENEL 6:44 PM · 1.5 ftH 12:42 AM · 3.3 ft

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

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

    4 kt ENEL 6:44 PM · 1.5 ftH 12:42 AM · 3.3 ft

  • Catfish Point

    Bar · 0.4 mi

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

    4 kt ENEL 6:44 PM · 1.5 ftH 12:42 AM · 3.3 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.