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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot71
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Crevalle jack60
- Florida pompano60
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel59
- Gray snapper57
- Red drum57
- Black drum53
- Spotted seatrout52
- Black sea bass51
- Weakfish50
- Southern flounder49
- Spanish mackerel47
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red snapper46
- Gag grouper45
- Sheepshead45
- Red grouper44
- Greater amberjack41
- Cobia40
- Little tunny39
- Bluefish32
Best score today · 8 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 417 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Straits scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
17Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Greater amberjack is best here
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
The Straits
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 The Straits
The Straits is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Westmouth Bay71
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 60
12 kt NEL 2:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:41 AM · 1.5 ft
- Gaskill Point66
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 65
- Florida pompano 60
12 kt NEL 2:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:41 AM · 1.5 ft
- Wading Point65
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 64
- Red drum 60
12 kt NEL 2:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:41 AM · 1.5 ft
- Crab Point65
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 64
- Red drum 60
12 kt NEL 2:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:41 AM · 1.5 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.