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SpotPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker45
- King mackerel45
- Spot45
- Crevalle jack44
- Gray snapper43
- Red drum43
- Florida pompano38
- Summer flounder38
- Black drum36
- Red snapper34
- Spanish mackerel34
- Black sea bass31
- Gray triggerfish31
- Little tunny31
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Bluefish30
- Gag grouper30
- Red grouper30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Weakfish30
- Sheepshead29
- Greater amberjack27
- Cobia26
Best score today · 1 AM · Spot
- Now
- 454 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-7 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Core Sound 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 8 kt WPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Spot
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here
Peak season for Spot · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Core Sound
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpot
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 Core Sound
Core Sound is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, king mackerel, spot and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Spot peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Mill Point51
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 51
- Atlantic croaker 46
- Spot 45
15 kt NNEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Cross Shoal Channel49
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 49
- Red drum 47
- Spot 46
20 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Gutter Creek49
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 49
- Spot 46
- Red drum 44
20 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Styron Bay45
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 45
- Spot 45
- Crevalle jack 42
20 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 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.