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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot72
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Gray snapper68
- Red drum67
- Crevalle jack66
- Summer flounder66
- Southern flounder65
- Black drum63
- King mackerel62
- Spotted seatrout61
- Weakfish60
- Black sea bass59
- Red snapper57
- Sheepshead56
- Florida pompano55
- Gray triggerfish53
- Gag grouper52
- Red grouper52
- Spanish mackerel51
- Greater amberjack48
- Cobia47
- Little tunny46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 3 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 594 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.8 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
47Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
Sanders Creek
- Depth
- Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 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 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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, weakfish, black sea bass and red snapper. 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
- Browns Inlet75
Channel · 3.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 71
10 kt NNEH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ftL 11:50 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cow Channel74
Channel · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
8 kt NNEH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ftL 11:48 AM · 0.5 ft
- Browns Sound72
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Gray snapper 68
10 kt NNEH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ftL 11:50 AM · 0.5 ft
- Bear Inlet71
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
10 kt NNEH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ftL 11:48 AM · 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.