Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

White Point

34.70°N · 76.55°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

71/100Great
Now
505 AM EDT
Best window
5-6 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Sep 24 · 12 AM

Time12A
Score35Fair
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.6 kn · toward W
Wind20 kn NNEgusts 33 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.8 ft · 5 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy59% chance of rain
Water80°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina

Spot profile

White Point

Depth
1-2 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 White Point

White Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and spot. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, spot and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper and little tunny. Red drum peak from August through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October.

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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Westmouth Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 66
    • Crevalle jack 64

    15 kt NNEH 7:41 AM · 1.5 ftL 2:04 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Henry Jones Creek

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • Red drum 63

    15 kt NNEH 7:25 AM · 1.6 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Eastmouth Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spot 64
    • Crevalle jack 63

    15 kt NNEH 7:25 AM · 1.6 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Wading Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    63
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 63
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • King mackerel 59

    15 kt NNEH 7:41 AM · 1.5 ftL 2:04 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.