Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Lookout Bight

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 2 PM · Greater amberjack

75/100Great
Now
505 PM EDT
Best window
6-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score50Good
Tide3.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind6 kn ENEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.3 ft · 7 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast47% 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 · 10 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 10 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in North Carolina

Spot profile

Lookout Bight

Depth
5-15 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 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, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

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.
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 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 72

    5 kt ESEL 9:51 PM · 1.6 ftH 3:18 AM · 3.3 ft

  • Blinds Hammock Bay

    Bay · 2.0 mi

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

    5 kt ESEL 9:51 PM · 1.6 ftH 3:18 AM · 3.3 ft

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    65
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 65
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 64

    6 kt ENEL 9:51 PM · 1.6 ftH 3:18 AM · 3.3 ft

  • Catfish Point

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • King mackerel 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 64

    6 kt ENEL 9:51 PM · 1.6 ftH 3:18 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.