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 · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

85/100Epic
Now
5311 AM EST
Best window
12-5 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 15 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score56Good
Tide0.2 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind5 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy55% cloud
Water65°FPersisted

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

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 little tunny, spotted seatrout and weakfish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, weakfish and red drum, and shoulder season for striped bass, spot, summer flounder and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Weakfish peak from October through November.

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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Parched Corn Bay

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    76
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 76
    • Weakfish 75
    • Little tunny 74

    7 kt NEL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ftH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Drain Point

    Cape · 4.0 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Spotted seatrout 62
    • Weakfish 62

    7 kt NEH 5:17 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:49 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    66
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 66
    • Spotted seatrout 65
    • Little tunny 64

    7 kt NEH 5:17 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:49 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Stumpy Point Bay

    Bay · 4.9 mi

    64
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 64
    • Weakfish 64
    • Little tunny 62

    7 kt NEH 5:17 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:49 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.