Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Mare Point

35.40°N · 76.65°W · Cape · Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

69/100Great
Now
5012 AM EDT
Best window
12-7 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score50Good
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind9 kn NNEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy74% cloud
Water83°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 yesterday

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

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina

Spot profile

Mare Point

Depth
Up to 7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Mare Point

Mare Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is up to 7 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, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

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

  • Cousin Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Red drum 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69

    9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Chambers Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Farrow Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cradle Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    9 kt NNEH 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.