Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Outer Point

35.31°N · 76.27°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker

80/100Great
Now
6111 AM EST
Best window
4-7 PMDusk
Tide now
Ebbing0.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score61Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward ESE
Wind10 kn Sgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy41% cloud
Water65°FModel

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

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Outer Point

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder 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 Outer Point

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

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, bluefish and gag grouper, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, sheepshead and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Great Island Narrows

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    75
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 75
    • Weakfish 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    10 kt SL 1:39 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:40 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Laurel Creek

    Bay · 3.5 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Weakfish 67

    10 kt SL 1:39 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:40 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Upper Middle

    Bar · 3.7 mi

    69
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Little tunny 69
    • Bluefish 67

    10 kt SL 2:43 PM · 0.3 ftH 6:56 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Crab Cove

    Bay · 3.4 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67
    • Florida pompano 65

    10 kt SH 12:11 PM · 0.5 ftL 5:10 PM · 0.3 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.