UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel55
- Red snapper49
- Florida pompano46
- Black sea bass45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Gag grouper44
- Red grouper44
- Crevalle jack43
- Greater amberjack41
- Gray snapper35
- Little tunny35
- Sheepshead35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Summer flounder35
- Bluefish34
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Red drum30
- Southern flounder30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Weakfish30
Best score today · 2 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 412 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-4 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Austin Reef 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
82Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
15Wind: 23 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
33Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.5 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
64Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Greater amberjack 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 Greater amberjack is best here
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Austin Reef
- Depth
- 4-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonGreater amberjack
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 Austin Reef
Austin Reef is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, red snapper and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, gray snapper and summer flounder, and shoulder season for red snapper, Florida pompano, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Red snapper peak from May through August. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Greater amberjack
- Amberjack school around wrecks, oil rigs, towers and high-relief reefs in 60 to 250 feet, often suspended well above the bottom. Drop a live blue runner or work a heavy jig through the school, then pump hard, because a big AJ runs straight back into the structure. Heavy conventional gear with 50 to 80 pound line is standard.
- 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.
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oliver Reef55
Bar · 1.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 55
- Red snapper 48
- Florida pompano 46
23 kt NEH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ftL 11:46 AM · 0.5 ft
- Hatteras Inlet53
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 53
- King mackerel 53
- Florida pompano 47
23 kt NEH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ftL 11:46 AM · 0.5 ft
- Pelican Shoal47
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 47
- King mackerel 47
- Crevalle jack 44
23 kt NEH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ftL 11:46 AM · 0.5 ft
- Shark Shoal44
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 44
- King mackerel 44
- Crevalle jack 39
23 kt NEH 6:57 AM · 0.8 ftL 1:41 PM · 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.