Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Cedar Point

35.30°N · 76.63°W · Cape · Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

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Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic croaker

73/100Great
Now
663 PM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score66Great
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward W
Wind8 kn ENEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.6 ft · 2 s
Air temp85°Hot
WeatherPartly cloudy24% cloud
Water83°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

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina

Spot profile

Cedar Point

Depth
1-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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 Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, black drum, black sea bass and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

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.
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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Sand Beach Creek

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • Spot 65

    13 kt ENEH 9:15 PM · 0.6 ftL 5:58 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Sheeppen Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 64
    • Crevalle jack 63

    8 kt ENEH 9:15 PM · 0.6 ftL 5:58 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Facing Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    62
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 62
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • Spot 59

    13 kt ENEH 9:15 PM · 0.6 ftL 5:58 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Peterson Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    62
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 62
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • Spot 59

    13 kt ENEH 9:15 PM · 0.6 ftL 5:58 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.