Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Shell Point

34.68°N · 76.53°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 6 AM · Black sea bass

84/100Great
Now
614 PM EST
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.9 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score73Great
Tide1.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward W
Wind5 kn ESEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 7 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water66°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Shell Point

Depth
6-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Shell Point

Shell Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 6-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Florida pompano and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for little tunny, Florida pompano, bluefish and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Lighthouse Channel

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 67

    9 kt EL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ftH 3:55 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Florida pompano 64
    • Atlantic croaker 63

    9 kt EL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ftH 3:55 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Henry Jones Creek

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67

    9 kt EL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ftH 3:55 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Eastmouth Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67

    9 kt EL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ftH 3:55 AM · 1.6 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.