Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Swan Point

35.15°N · 76.70°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

80/100Great
Now
687 AM EST
Best window
7-9 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 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
Score69Great
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind4 kn SEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 6 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast90% cloud
Water66°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Swan Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Swan Point

Swan Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Harper Creek

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    81
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 81
    • Spotted seatrout 81
    • Southern flounder 80

    5 kt NNEH 10:06 AM · 0.5 ftL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Lambert Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    81
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 81
    • Spotted seatrout 76
    • Black sea bass 74

    5 kt NNEH 10:06 AM · 0.5 ftL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Chapel Creek Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    80
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 80
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Bluefish 73

    5 kt NNEH 10:06 AM · 0.5 ftL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Mason Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    80
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 80
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Bluefish 73

    5 kt NNEH 10:06 AM · 0.5 ftL 3:03 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.