Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Sound Point

35.29°N · 76.48°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 3 AM · Atlantic croaker

63/100Good
Now
633 AM EDT
Best window
3-7 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Sep 24 · 12 AM

Time12A
Score35Fair
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind19 kn NNEgusts 33 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherOvercast59% chance of rain
Water81°FModel

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

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina

Spot profile

Sound Point

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Sound Point

Sound Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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 red snapper, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Yaupon Hammock Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Spot 61
    • Crevalle jack 59

    14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Fate Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    57
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Spot 54
    • Atlantic tarpon 54

    14 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Southward Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    57
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Spot 54
    • Atlantic tarpon 54

    14 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Little Porpoise Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    51
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 51
    • Atlantic tarpon 50
    • Red drum 49

    14 kt NNEH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ftL 2:53 PM · 0.2 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.