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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot73
- Florida pompano69
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Summer flounder65
- Crevalle jack63
- King mackerel63
- Southern flounder63
- Red drum62
- Black drum61
- Gray snapper61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Spotted seatrout57
- Gray triggerfish54
- Black sea bass53
- Gag grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Little tunny52
- Red grouper52
- Sheepshead50
- Weakfish50
- Cobia49
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 477 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Ground 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
41Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Greater amberjack 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 Greater amberjack is best here
Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Ground
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonGreater amberjack
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 Middle Ground
Middle Ground is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Greater amberjack
- Amberjack school around wrecks, oil rigs, towers and high-relief reefs in 60 to 250 feet, often suspended well above the bottom. Drop a live blue runner or work a heavy jig through the school, then pump hard, because a big AJ runs straight back into the structure. Heavy conventional gear with 50 to 80 pound line is standard.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Inner Middle75
Bar · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Florida pompano 69
7 kt NEH 7:59 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:11 PM · 0.2 ft
- Upper Middle75
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Florida pompano 69
7 kt NEH 7:59 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:11 PM · 0.2 ft
- Outer Point75
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 66
7 kt NEH 7:59 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:11 PM · 0.2 ft
- Lower Middle75
Bar · 4.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Florida pompano 70
7 kt NEH 7:59 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:11 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.