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
487 AM EST
Best window
11 AM-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.9 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 9 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score63Good
Tide4.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward ESE
Wind13 kn WNWgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 8 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherClear33% chance of rain
Water68°FModel

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 little tunny, weakfish and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, black sea bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for summer flounder, spot, striped bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November.

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.
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.
Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Barden Inlet

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Weakfish 65
    • Black sea bass 63

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

  • Blinds Hammock Bay

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Weakfish 61
    • Red drum 60

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

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Black sea bass 54
    • Bluefish 54

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

  • Catfish Point

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Florida pompano 57
    • Bluefish 56

    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.