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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny72
- Spot67
- Spotted seatrout67
- Atlantic croaker66
- Red drum65
- Black sea bass64
- Bluefish64
- Southern flounder64
- Weakfish64
- Florida pompano63
- Gag grouper60
- Striped bass59
- Black drum58
- Sheepshead56
- Summer flounder56
- Red snapper54
- King mackerel48
- Greater amberjack45
- Crevalle jack43
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia33
Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 6610 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cradle Point 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 3 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
93Water temp: 67°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
50Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cradle Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftNearest water
- 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 Cradle Point
Cradle Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 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, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, red drum and black sea bass, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spot peak from September through October. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
- 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
- Ashon Gut75
Gut · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spotted seatrout 75
- Red drum 74
6 kt NEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Cousin Point75
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 75
- Red drum 74
- Little tunny 72
6 kt NEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Farrow Point73
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 73
- Spot 67
- Spotted seatrout 67
6 kt NEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Chambers Point73
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 73
- Spot 67
- Spotted seatrout 67
6 kt NEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 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.