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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot62
- Crevalle jack57
- Florida pompano56
- Summer flounder56
- King mackerel53
- Red drum53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Gray snapper51
- Weakfish50
- Little tunny46
- Spanish mackerel46
- Black drum45
- Cobia43
- Black sea bass42
- Sheepshead42
- Gag grouper40
- Gray triggerfish39
- Red grouper39
- Red snapper39
- Greater amberjack38
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder35
Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 4212 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
41Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
65Wind: 12 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
57Light: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeason & 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 today
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
Big Bay
- Depth
- 1-5 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 Big Bay
Big Bay is a bay in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
- 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
- Catnip Point56
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- King mackerel 53
12 kt NNEH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ftL 7:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- Bonners Point56
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- King mackerel 53
12 kt NNEH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ftL 7:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- Plum Point56
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- King mackerel 53
12 kt NNEH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ftL 7:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- Sullivan Point56
Cape · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- King mackerel 53
12 kt NNEH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ftL 7:02 PM · 0.3 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.