Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Duncan Point

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

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Best score today · 4 PM · Atlantic croaker

80/100Great
Now
389 PM EST
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.4 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score55Good
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.6 kn · toward SSE
Wind9 kn SSEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.7 ft · 7 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water68°FBias corrected

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

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • 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
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 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 25 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and striped bass. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, red drum and weakfish, and shoulder season for striped bass, summer flounder, Atlantic croaker and spot. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Little tunny peak 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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Egg Shoal

    Bar · 3.5 mi

    78
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 78
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Bluefish 73

    9 kt EL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Old Rollinson Channel

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    75
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 75
    • Weakfish 75
    • Spotted seatrout 74

    9 kt EL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Bluefish 70
    • Weakfish 68

    9 kt EL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Durant Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 70
    • Little tunny 69
    • Red drum 67

    9 kt EL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:24 AM · 0.8 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.