Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Long Creek Point

35.31°N · 76.49°W · Cape · Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

73/100Great
Now
566 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.3 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score56Good
Tide0.3 ftLow
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherOvercast82% chance of rain
Water82°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 · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina

Spot profile

Long Creek Point

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Long Creek Point

Long Creek 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 semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, king mackerel and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, little tunny, gray triggerfish and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September 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.
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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Long Creek

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Crevalle jack 61
    • Red drum 60

    12 kt ENEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Oak Cove Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    56
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Crevalle jack 56
    • King mackerel 54

    12 kt ENEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Persimmon Tree Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    56
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Crevalle jack 56
    • King mackerel 54

    12 kt ENEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Kirk Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    56
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Crevalle jack 56
    • King mackerel 54

    12 kt ENEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 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.