Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bar · North Carolina

Flounder Rock

35.10°N · 76.10°W · Bar · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 PM · Black sea bass

81/100Great
Now
627 AM EST
Best window
3-7 PMEbb 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

Tuesday, Nov 3 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score77Great
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind13 kn ENEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 5 s
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherClear7% cloud
Water64°FBias corrected

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

Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Flounder Rock

Depth
3-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Flounder Rock

Flounder Rock is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, gag grouper and little tunny. It is peak season now for black sea bass, gag grouper, little tunny and bluefish, and shoulder season for red snapper, summer flounder, king mackerel and black drum. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Gag grouper peak from November through December. Little tunny peak 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.
Gag grouper
Gag hold on ledges, rock piles and wrecks, from 15 to 40 feet in the fall on Florida's Gulf coast out to 250 feet the rest of the year. Troll deep-diving plugs to find productive rocks, then anchor and drop or freeline live pinfish or pigfish on a strong circle hook. Keep the drag tight and turn the fish in the first few seconds or it will reach the rocks.
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

  • Haulover Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Bluefish 59
    • Striped bass 55

    15 kt NEL 7:02 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:33 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Mount Vernon Rock

    Bar · 1.4 mi

    62
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 62
    • Gag grouper 59
    • Red drum 58

    15 kt NEL 7:02 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:33 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Baymarsh Thorofare

    Gut · 2.7 mi

    62
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 62
    • Weakfish 62
    • Little tunny 55

    15 kt NEL 7:02 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:33 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Oyster Rocks

    Bar · 2.3 mi

    61
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 61
    • Little tunny 61
    • Florida pompano 59

    15 kt NEL 7:02 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:33 PM · 2.3 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.