UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all69
- Atlantic croaker69
- Black sea bass67
- Spot67
- Red drum65
- Florida pompano64
- Weakfish63
- Little tunny59
- Gag grouper58
- Striped bass58
- Black drum57
- Bluefish57
- Summer flounder57
- Sheepshead54
- Red snapper51
- King mackerel45
- Crevalle jack43
- Greater amberjack42
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Cobia23
Best score today · 6 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 695 PM EST
- Best window
- 6-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horsepen Creek scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Wednesday, Nov 11 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
90Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 67°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Weakfish
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Horsepen Creek
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Horsepen Creek
Horsepen Creek is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and spot. It is peak season now for black sea bass, red drum, Florida pompano and weakfish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Spot peak from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Zack Creek77
Gut · 1.6 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 77
- Red drum 77
- Weakfish 76
10 kt ENEL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ftH 3:55 AM · 1.6 ft
- Great Shoal72
Bar · 0.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Red drum 70
- Little tunny 67
10 kt ENEL 11:19 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:47 AM · 1.2 ft
- Horsepen Point70
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Little tunny 69
- Spotted seatrout 67
10 kt ENEL 11:19 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:47 AM · 1.2 ft
- Deer Pond67
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
10 kt ENEL 11:19 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:47 AM · 1.2 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.