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

84/100Great
Now
5611 AM EST
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.7 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score59Good
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward W
Wind3 kn ESEgusts 10 · steady
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast98% cloud
Water66°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 black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, bluefish, black sea bass and weakfish, and shoulder season for striped bass, summer flounder, spot and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October 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

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    79
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 79
    • Bluefish 72
    • Black sea bass 71

    10 kt NEH 3:16 PM · 1.9 ftL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Lighthouse Channel

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    78
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 78
    • Black sea bass 76
    • Red drum 74

    10 kt NEH 3:16 PM · 1.9 ftL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Henry Jones Creek

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Spotted seatrout 70

    10 kt NEH 3:16 PM · 1.9 ftL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Eastmouth Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    71
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Little tunny 71
    • Weakfish 70

    10 kt NEH 3:16 PM · 1.9 ftL 10:30 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.