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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker58
- Spot58
- Red drum57
- Crevalle jack55
- Atlantic tarpon54
- King mackerel51
- Gray snapper50
- Summer flounder49
- Black drum48
- Red snapper47
- Black sea bass44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Gag grouper43
- Red grouper43
- Weakfish41
- Sheepshead39
- Spanish mackerel39
- Florida pompano38
- Greater amberjack38
- Cobia37
- Bluefish35
- Little tunny35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 1 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 383 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Nelson Bay 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt NNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
92Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Nelson Bay
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Nelson Bay
Nelson 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 Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum 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. Red drum peak from August 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
- Broad Creek58
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 58
- Red drum 57
14 kt NNEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Lewis Creek58
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 58
- Red drum 57
14 kt NNEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Short Point57
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Atlantic tarpon 54
- Atlantic croaker 53
14 kt NNEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Green Point57
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Atlantic tarpon 54
- Atlantic croaker 53
14 kt NNEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 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.