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Atlantic croakerPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all68
- Atlantic croaker68
- Spot67
- Crevalle jack66
- Gray snapper64
- Red drum64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- King mackerel62
- Summer flounder62
- Florida pompano58
- Southern flounder57
- Black drum55
- Gray triggerfish55
- Sheepshead55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Red grouper54
- Red snapper54
- Spotted seatrout54
- Black sea bass53
- Cobia53
- Gag grouper53
- Greater amberjack50
- Little tunny49
- Weakfish45
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 PM · Red drum
- 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
Notify me when Lookout Bight 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt ENEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
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 Inlet72
Channel · 1.5 mi
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 Bay68
Bay · 2.0 mi
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 Point63
Cape · 0.3 mi
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 Point63
Bar · 0.4 mi
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.
