Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Shell Point

34.55°N · 77.34°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 8 AM · Greater amberjack

78/100Great
Now
4312 PM EST
Best window
3-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 7 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score55Good
Tide2.2 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind6 kn NNWgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.5 ft · 8 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherClear16% cloud
Water70°FModel

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
2-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Howard Bay

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 66

    9 kt NEL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:08 AM · 2.8 ft

  • Mile Hammock Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 66

    9 kt NEL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:08 AM · 2.8 ft

  • Traps Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 66

    9 kt NEL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:08 AM · 2.8 ft

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    65
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 65
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 62

    9 kt NEL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:08 AM · 2.8 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.