Waterlands

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Greater amberjackShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Point of Beach

34.89°N · 76.28°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 1 AM · Greater amberjack

61/100Good
Now
491 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score49Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.7 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind13 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Greater amberjack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Greater amberjack · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Greater amberjack in North Carolina

Spot profile

Point of Beach

Depth
Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Point of Beach

Point of Beach is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is up to 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 gray snapper, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for red snapper, little tunny, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Gray snapper peak from June through September. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
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

  • Old Drum Inlet

    Gut · 0.2 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 68

    13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Drum Inlet (historical)

    Channel · 0.2 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 67
    • Gray snapper 66

    13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft

  • 67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Crevalle jack 65

    13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Point of Grass

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    62
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 62
    • Gray snapper 61
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    13 kt NEL 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.