Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

BluefishPeak season

Bar · North Carolina

Amity Shoal (historical)

35.06°N · 76.03°W · Bar · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Bluefish

76/100Great
Now
628 PM EST
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.4 ft

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

Notify me when Amity Shoal (historical) scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score79Great
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward SE
Wind8 kn SSEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.1 ft · 7 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water68°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak

Bluefish season by week of the year. Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Amity Shoal (historical)

Depth
6-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBluefish

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 Amity Shoal (historical)

Amity Shoal (historical) is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 6-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, Florida pompano and red drum, and shoulder season for summer flounder, striped bass, black drum and spot. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Little tunny peak from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Horse Island Channel

    Channel · 2.0 mi

    65
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 65
    • Spotted seatrout 62
    • Red drum 61

    11 kt EH 2:12 AM · 1.9 ftL 8:18 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Ocracoke Inlet

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    63
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 63
    • Weakfish 60
    • Little tunny 57

    11 kt EH 2:12 AM · 1.9 ftL 8:18 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Blair Channel

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    63
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 63
    • Bluefish 60
    • Red drum 60

    11 kt EH 2:12 AM · 1.9 ftL 8:18 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Vera Cruz Shoal

    Bar · 0.6 mi

    62
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 62
    • Little tunny 53
    • Florida pompano 52

    11 kt EH 2:12 AM · 1.9 ftL 8:18 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.