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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all70
- Atlantic croaker70
- Black sea bass68
- Spot68
- Florida pompano67
- Weakfish67
- Red drum65
- Spotted seatrout64
- Black drum63
- Southern flounder61
- Summer flounder60
- Gag grouper59
- Sheepshead59
- Little tunny58
- Bluefish54
- Red snapper52
- Striped bass49
- Crevalle jack45
- King mackerel45
- Greater amberjack44
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia32
Best score today · 8 AM · Weakfish
- Now
- 7011 AM EST
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shell Narrows 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
90Wind: 10 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
71Water temp: 65°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.3 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
82Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Shell Narrows
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Shell Narrows
Shell Narrows is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and spot. It is peak season now for black sea bass, Florida pompano, weakfish and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and summer flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Black sea bass peak from March through April and 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Deep Cove69
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Florida pompano 66
9 kt SH 12:11 PM · 0.5 ftL 5:10 PM · 0.3 ft
- Bernice Creek69
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
- Spot 69
9 kt SH 12:11 PM · 0.5 ftL 5:10 PM · 0.3 ft
- Eastard Bay67
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Florida pompano 66
10 kt SH 12:11 PM · 0.5 ftL 5:10 PM · 0.3 ft
- Shell Point66
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Black sea bass 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
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.