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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Red drum63
- Crevalle jack61
- Gray snapper61
- Florida pompano57
- Southern flounder55
- Spotted seatrout55
- Summer flounder55
- Black drum54
- King mackerel53
- Red snapper50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Weakfish49
- Gray triggerfish48
- Black sea bass47
- Sheepshead47
- Gag grouper46
- Red grouper45
- Cobia44
- Little tunny44
- Greater amberjack41
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 411 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-5 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 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 · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
55Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Greater amberjack is best here
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks 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 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 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, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September 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.
- 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 Creek71
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Red drum 65
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Sound Bay71
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 64
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Little Drum Creek71
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Red drum 65
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bay Point66
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 64
- Atlantic tarpon 59
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 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.