Waterlands

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Little tunnyShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Goose Bay

34.99°N · 76.25°W · Bay · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 12 AM · Little tunny

71/100Great
Now
358 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward S
Wind18 kn NNEgusts 30 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast82% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here

Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder

Little tunny season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Little tunny in North Carolina

Spot profile

Goose Bay

Depth
1-2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonLittle tunny

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 Goose Bay

Goose Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Great Ditch

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    56
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 56
    • King mackerel 55
    • Florida pompano 54

    18 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Goose Bay Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    55
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 55
    • Florida pompano 54
    • Crevalle jack 51

    18 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Oyster Creek

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    54
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 54
    • King mackerel 53
    • Florida pompano 52

    18 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Oyster Creek Pit

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    53
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 53
    • King mackerel 53
    • Crevalle jack 49

    18 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 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.