UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SpotShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot67
- Black sea bass66
- Red drum66
- Weakfish63
- Spotted seatrout61
- Florida pompano60
- Summer flounder60
- Black drum59
- Southern flounder58
- Gag grouper56
- Little tunny56
- Sheepshead56
- Bluefish51
- Red snapper49
- Striped bass49
- King mackerel45
- Crevalle jack41
- Greater amberjack41
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel33
- Cobia28
Best score today · 6 PM · Spot
- Now
- 671 PM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sanders Creek 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 5 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 68°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Spot
Species seasonality
67Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here
Shoulder season for Spot · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sanders Creek
- Depth
- Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpot
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 Sanders Creek
Sanders Creek is a gut in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is up to 3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and black sea bass. It is peak season now for black sea bass, red drum, weakfish and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Browns Inlet72
Channel · 3.5 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Black sea bass 67
10 kt EH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ft
- Browns Sound70
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 70
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
10 kt EH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ft
- Cow Channel68
Channel · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 66
- Black sea bass 65
7 kt EH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ftL 8:11 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bear Inlet67
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 67
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
10 kt EH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ftL 8:11 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.