Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

No Ache Bay

35.51°N · 75.48°W · Bay · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

49/100Good
Now
283 AM EDT
Best window
3-4 AMMoving water
Tide now
Ebbing0.6 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score28Fair
Tide0.6 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.7 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind24 kn NEgusts 31 · steady
Sea stateRough4.8 ft · 6 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy61% chance of rain
Water77°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

No Ache Bay

Depth
2-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 No Ache Bay

No Ache Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and red snapper. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for red snapper, black drum, cobia and weakfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. 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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
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

  • Phipps Cove

    Bay · 5.6 mi

    44
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 44
    • King mackerel 40
    • Red snapper 32

    24 kt NEL 3:48 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Midgett Cove

    Bay · 2.6 mi

    42
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 42
    • King mackerel 38
    • Florida pompano 34

    24 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:46 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Green Point

    Cape · 5.9 mi

    39
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 39
    • Crevalle jack 37
    • Red snapper 31

    24 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:46 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Wimble Shoals

    Bar · 2.3 mi

    38
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 38
    • Crevalle jack 37
    • Florida pompano 36

    24 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:46 AM · 0.8 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.