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Greater amberjackShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot71
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Gray snapper68
- Crevalle jack67
- Red drum67
- Southern flounder64
- Spotted seatrout62
- Summer flounder61
- King mackerel59
- Black drum58
- Weakfish56
- Florida pompano55
- Red snapper55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Black sea bass53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Sheepshead53
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper51
- Cobia50
- Little tunny49
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Greater amberjack
- Now
- 473 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-7 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Spencer Bay 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 4 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
99Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Greater amberjack
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Spencer Bay
- Depth
- 6-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Spencer Bay
Spencer Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 6-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, weakfish, Florida pompano and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Striking Bay76
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 70
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Marsh Rock Creek73
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 69
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Short Point71
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 66
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Long Point71
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 66
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 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.