Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Lookout Bight

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

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Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic croaker

72/100Great
Now
588 AM EST
Best window
11 AM-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 3 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score66Great
Tide1.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward W
Wind11 kn NEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherClear3% cloud
Water65°FBias corrected

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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • 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
Shoulder 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 25 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for black sea bass, little tunny, bluefish and weakfish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, summer flounder and sheepshead. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Barden Inlet

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    74
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Little tunny 73
    • Weakfish 71

    9 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Blinds Hammock Bay

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    68
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Little tunny 68
    • Weakfish 68

    9 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Black sea bass 64
    • Bluefish 62

    14 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Catfish Point

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Black sea bass 64
    • Florida pompano 64

    14 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 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.