Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Old Channel Point

34.82°N · 76.37°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
6510 AM EDT
Best window
3-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score65Great
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind7 kn ESEgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 6 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy40% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina

Spot profile

Old Channel Point

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Old Channel Point

Old Channel Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and king mackerel, and shoulder season for little tunny, gray triggerfish, red snapper and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cedar Inlet

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    74
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 74
    • Crevalle jack 73
    • Red drum 72

    7 kt ESEL 1:37 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:51 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Old Channel

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    74
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 74
    • Red drum 72
    • Spot 71

    7 kt ESEL 1:37 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:51 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Gutter Creek

    Gut · 1.0 mi

    74
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 74
    • Spot 71
    • Atlantic tarpon 71

    7 kt ESEL 1:37 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:51 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Yaupon Hammock Gut

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 69
    • Crevalle jack 67

    7 kt ESEL 12:16 PM · 0.5 ftH 6:28 PM · 1.4 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.