UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot71
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Florida pompano59
- Red drum58
- Crevalle jack57
- Gray snapper56
- Summer flounder54
- King mackerel52
- Southern flounder51
- Black drum50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Spanish mackerel48
- Weakfish47
- Red snapper44
- Cobia43
- Gray triggerfish43
- Black sea bass42
- Sheepshead42
- Gag grouper41
- Red grouper41
- Little tunny38
- Greater amberjack36
- Bluefish34
Best score today · 5 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 429 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rockhole 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
41Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 82°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
52Season: 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 today
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
Rockhole Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Rockhole Bay
Rockhole Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
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 Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. 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
- Dump Creek73
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 61
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Sound Bay73
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 60
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Little Drum Creek73
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 61
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bay Point68
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 65
- Atlantic tarpon 56
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 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.