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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot75
- Florida pompano60
- Crevalle jack59
- Summer flounder58
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Gray snapper56
- King mackerel55
- Red drum55
- Black drum53
- Black sea bass52
- Spotted seatrout52
- Southern flounder49
- Weakfish49
- Sheepshead47
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red snapper46
- Gag grouper45
- Red grouper45
- Spanish mackerel44
- Greater amberjack40
- Little tunny40
- Cobia39
- Bluefish33
Best score today · 3 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 526 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High2.1 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Main Channel 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 5 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
78Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Main Channel
- Depth
- 1-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Main Channel
Main Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Banks Channel78
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 75
- Florida pompano 60
10 kt NNEL 11:48 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:11 PM · 2.5 ft
- Burthen Channel78
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 75
- Florida pompano 60
10 kt NNEL 11:48 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:11 PM · 2.5 ft
- Burden Channel78
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 75
- Florida pompano 60
10 kt NNEL 11:48 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:11 PM · 2.5 ft
- Bank Channel74
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 59
10 kt NNEL 11:48 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:11 PM · 2.5 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.