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Atlantic croakerPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker59
- Spot59
- King mackerel58
- Crevalle jack57
- Gray snapper57
- Summer flounder57
- Atlantic tarpon55
- Black drum53
- Red drum53
- Red snapper53
- Black sea bass51
- Gray triggerfish51
- Gag grouper50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Red grouper49
- Florida pompano47
- Little tunny46
- Greater amberjack45
- Sheepshead45
- Weakfish43
- Cobia40
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 599 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Merkle Hammock 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
93Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.5 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Merkle Hammock
- Depth
- About 4 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Protected
- Season
- Peak 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 Merkle Hammock
Merkle Hammock is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is about 4 ft. Its profile reads bar, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Mullet Shoal61
Bar · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- Florida pompano 60
12 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Point61
Bar · 2.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Florida pompano 60
- Spot 59
12 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Whalebone Inlet60
Gut · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Crevalle jack 58
- Spot 57
20 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft
- High Hills Inlet60
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Crevalle jack 58
- Spot 57
20 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 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.