Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Lupton Point

35.43°N · 76.53°W · Cape · Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

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Best score today · 5 PM · Little tunny

80/100Great
Now
669 PM EST
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 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
Score81Great
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward N
Wind5 kn Sgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 5 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% 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

Lupton Point

Depth
1-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Lupton Point

Lupton Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

  • Pasture Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 66
    • Spotted seatrout 63

    7 kt NEL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Green Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 66
    • Spotted seatrout 63

    7 kt NEL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Persimmon Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 66
    • Spotted seatrout 63

    7 kt NEL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Parmalee Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spot 66
    • Spotted seatrout 63

    7 kt NEL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:07 AM · 0.5 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.