Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder 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 · Greater amberjack

83/100Great
Now
491 AM EST
Best window
6-8 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score60Good
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward W
Wind7 kn NEgusts 15 · steady
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy45% cloud
Water69°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Shell Point

Depth
6-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · 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 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, bluefish and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, bluefish, red drum and black sea bass, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Red drum peak from August through November.

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.
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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Lighthouse Channel

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    74
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 74
    • Red drum 71
    • Spotted seatrout 71

    11 kt NEH 2:44 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:25 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Henry Jones Creek

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Weakfish 69

    11 kt NEH 2:44 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:25 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Bluefish 68
    • Red drum 66

    11 kt NEH 2:44 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:25 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Eastmouth Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Weakfish 69
    • Spotted seatrout 68

    11 kt NEH 2:44 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:25 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.