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Little tunnyShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel66
- Atlantic croaker61
- Florida pompano58
- Gray snapper58
- Red drum56
- Crevalle jack55
- Gray triggerfish54
- Red snapper54
- Summer flounder54
- Black sea bass53
- Gag grouper53
- Red grouper53
- Spot53
- Greater amberjack50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Black drum48
- Little tunny45
- Sheepshead44
- Weakfish42
- Cobia41
- Bluefish35
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 4 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 457 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.0 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
82Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
17Wind: 20 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.6 ftSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Little tunny is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Little tunny is best here
Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Austin Reef
- Depth
- 4-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLittle tunny
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, Atlantic croaker and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, gray triggerfish, red snapper and black sea bass. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oliver Reef66
Bar · 1.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 66
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Florida pompano 58
20 kt NEL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ft
- Hatteras Inlet65
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 65
- King mackerel 64
- Atlantic croaker 61
20 kt NEL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ft
- Shark Shoal61
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 61
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 55
20 kt NEL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ftH 6:57 AM · 0.8 ft
- Pelican Shoal59
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 59
- King mackerel 58
- Crevalle jack 56
20 kt NEL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:41 AM · 1.9 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.