Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Sandy Point

35.63°N · 75.73°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Little tunny

81/100Great
Now
684 PM EST
Best window
6-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score68Great
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SSE
Wind5 kn NEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 5 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy45% cloud
Water63°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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Sandy Point

Depth
2-10 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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, weakfish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and striped bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spot peak from September 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.
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.
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

  • Parched Corn Bay

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    78
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 78
    • Weakfish 76
    • Red drum 75

    7 kt ENEH 5:23 PM · 0.7 ftL 11:42 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    74
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Spotted seatrout 70

    7 kt ENEH 4:18 PM · 0.6 ftL 10:48 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Stumpy Point Bay

    Bay · 4.9 mi

    74
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Spotted seatrout 72

    5 kt NEH 4:18 PM · 0.6 ftL 10:48 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Drain Point

    Cape · 4.0 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 68

    5 kt NEH 4:18 PM · 0.6 ftL 10:48 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.