Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Drum Point

35.38°N · 76.41°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 5 PM · Atlantic croaker

80/100Great
Now
679 AM EST
Best window
3-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score60Good
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Wind4 kn SSWgusts 11 · steady
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Drum Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Drum Point

Drum Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, bluefish and weakfish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and sheepshead. Little tunny peak from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Point of Narrows

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Weakfish 71
    • Black sea bass 70

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Drum Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 68

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Middle Creek

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 69
    • Weakfish 67

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Tolers Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 67

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:47 PM · 0.7 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.