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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker57
- Spot57
- Crevalle jack56
- Gray snapper56
- King mackerel55
- Red drum55
- Summer flounder55
- Florida pompano53
- Black drum48
- Weakfish48
- Spanish mackerel46
- Red snapper45
- Black sea bass43
- Cobia42
- Gag grouper42
- Gray triggerfish42
- Sheepshead42
- Little tunny41
- Red grouper41
- Greater amberjack39
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 1 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 434 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Pains 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
55Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
75Wind: 14 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.7 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Pains Bay
- Depth
- 4-6 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 Pains Bay
Pains Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 4-6 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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.
- 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
- Rawls Point55
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 55
- Atlantic croaker 52
- Spot 52
14 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Long Shoal55
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 55
- King mackerel 55
- Summer flounder 55
14 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Pains Point52
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 52
- King mackerel 52
- Spot 52
14 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Pingleton Point52
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 52
- King mackerel 52
- Spot 52
14 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 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.