Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Windmill Point

35.18°N · 76.67°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 4 PM · Atlantic croaker

79/100Great
Now
694 PM EST
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score70Great
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind5 kn SEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 6 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water66°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Windmill Point

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Windmill Point

Windmill Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spotted seatrout and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, red drum and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Red drum peak from August through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Smith Creek Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    79
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 73

    5 kt EH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Poorhouse Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    79
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 73

    5 kt EH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Parch Corn Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    79
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 79
    • Red drum 78
    • Weakfish 77

    5 kt EH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Bell Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    79
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 73

    5 kt EH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 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.