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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot72
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Gray snapper68
- Crevalle jack67
- Red drum66
- Summer flounder63
- King mackerel61
- Florida pompano60
- Southern flounder60
- Black drum59
- Red snapper58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Sheepshead56
- Spanish mackerel56
- Black sea bass55
- Weakfish55
- Gag grouper54
- Red grouper54
- Cobia50
- Little tunny50
- Greater amberjack49
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 2 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 552 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-10 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.2 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, 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. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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 Bay74
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 69
9 kt NNEH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ftL 11:50 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cedar Point71
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Atlantic croaker 68
9 kt NNEH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ftL 11:50 AM · 0.5 ft
- Shell Point68
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 65
9 kt NNEH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ftL 11:50 AM · 0.5 ft
- Creels Point55
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 55
- Atlantic tarpon 54
- Spot 53
9 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.