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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot70
- Gray snapper67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Crevalle jack66
- Red drum64
- Summer flounder62
- King mackerel61
- Florida pompano60
- Black drum58
- Southern flounder58
- Red snapper57
- Spotted seatrout56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Black sea bass54
- Sheepshead54
- Weakfish54
- Gag grouper53
- Red grouper53
- Cobia49
- Little tunny49
- Greater amberjack48
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 2 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 544 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Traps Bay 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
83Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 5 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
63Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Traps Bay
- Depth
- 3-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Traps Bay
Traps Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 3-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, gray snapper and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- 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
- Howard Bay72
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Gray snapper 67
10 kt NNEH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ftL 11:50 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cedar Point69
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
10 kt NNEH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ftL 11:50 AM · 0.5 ft
- Shell Point66
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 65
- Gray snapper 63
10 kt NNEH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ftL 11:50 AM · 0.5 ft
- Creels Point64
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 62
- Gray snapper 61
10 kt NNEH 7:19 AM · 1.1 ftL 1:47 PM · 0.6 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.