Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Dulls Point

35.70°N · 75.50°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 1 AM · Black sea bass

45/100Good
Now
2712 AM EDT
Best window
12-2 AMEbb current
Tide now
Ebbing0.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score27Fair
Tide0.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.6 kn · toward NNE
Wind17 kn NEgusts 31 · steady
Sea stateRough4.1 ft · 6 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast50% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina

Spot profile

Dulls Point

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Dulls Point

Dulls Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, crevalle jack and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, gray snapper and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and black drum. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • 55
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 55
    • King mackerel 53
    • Black sea bass 42

    17 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:46 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Terrapin Creek Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    46
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 46
    • King mackerel 43
    • Florida pompano 40

    17 kt NEH 6:26 AM · 0.9 ftL 12:28 PM · 0.1 ft

  • Pea Island Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    46
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 46
    • King mackerel 43
    • Florida pompano 40

    17 kt NEH 6:26 AM · 0.9 ftL 12:28 PM · 0.1 ft

  • The Trench

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    46
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 46
    • King mackerel 43
    • Florida pompano 36

    17 kt NEH 6:26 AM · 0.9 ftL 12:28 PM · 0.1 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.