Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Whittaker Point

35.03°N · 76.68°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 10 PM · Black sea bass

74/100Great
Now
527 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score52Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind9 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherOvercast62% chance of rain
Water81°FObserved

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.

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

Whittaker Point

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Whittaker Point

Whittaker Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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 king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. 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

  • Shop Gut

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    74
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 74
    • Spot 74
    • Crevalle jack 68

    9 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Whitehurst Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 69

    9 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Chadwick Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 69
    • King mackerel 64

    9 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Dewey Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 69
    • King mackerel 64

    9 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 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.