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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot73
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Red drum71
- Southern flounder68
- Crevalle jack66
- Spotted seatrout65
- Gray snapper63
- Summer flounder63
- Black drum62
- King mackerel61
- Weakfish57
- Red snapper56
- Florida pompano54
- Black sea bass53
- Cobia53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Gag grouper52
- Red grouper52
- Sheepshead51
- Spanish mackerel51
- Greater amberjack47
- Little tunny46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 4 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 533 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-10 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Pettiford Creek Bay 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
46Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Pettiford Creek Bay
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Pettiford Creek Bay
Pettiford Creek Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, weakfish, red snapper and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- East Channel77
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
8 kt NNEH 7:06 AM · 1.9 ftL 1:29 PM · 0.5 ft
- Hampton Bay74
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 72
8 kt NNEH 7:06 AM · 1.9 ftL 1:29 PM · 0.5 ft
- Robinson Point72
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 68
8 kt NNEH 7:06 AM · 1.9 ftL 1:29 PM · 0.5 ft
- Cahoon Point72
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 68
8 kt NNEH 7:06 AM · 1.9 ftL 1:29 PM · 0.5 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.