Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bar · North Carolina

Gull Rocks

35.38°N · 76.01°W · Bar · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

74/100Great
Now
621 AM EDT
Best window
1-3 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 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 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score62Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.9 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind12 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast44% chance of rain
Water80°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

Gull Rocks

Depth
3-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Gull Rocks

Gull Rocks is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, gray snapper and red snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, summer flounder and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red snapper peak from May through August.

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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Hillerys Cove

    Bay · 2.8 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 70
    • Crevalle jack 69

    12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Gull Shoal

    Bar · 2.0 mi

    66
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 66
    • Gray snapper 65
    • Summer flounder 65

    12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Hog Island Shoal

    Bar · 2.1 mi

    65
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 65
    • King mackerel 65
    • Summer flounder 65

    12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Bensons Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spot 64
    • Gray snapper 63

    12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 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.