Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Duncan Point

35.22°N · 75.67°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 PM · Red drum

74/100Great
Now
631 PM EDT
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score63Good
Tide3.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.2 kn · toward NW
Wind11 kn SWgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp82°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water80°FObserved

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina

Spot profile

Duncan Point

Depth
2-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Duncan Point

Duncan Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano 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.
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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Egg Shoal

    Bar · 3.5 mi

    78
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 78
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Summer flounder 69

    11 kt SWH 3:01 PM · 0.8 ftL 9:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Old Rollinson Channel

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    75
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 75
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Crevalle jack 73

    11 kt SWH 3:01 PM · 0.8 ftL 9:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    73
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 73
    • Red drum 72
    • Gray snapper 70

    11 kt SWH 3:01 PM · 0.8 ftL 9:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Durant Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 68
    • Red drum 68
    • Crevalle jack 67

    11 kt SWH 3:01 PM · 0.8 ftL 9:16 PM · 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.