Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bay · North Carolina

Tar Hole Inlet

35.18°N · 75.80°W · Bay · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass

71/100Great
Now
628 AM EST
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score70Great
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward SSE
Wind11 kn ENEgusts 17 · building
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy39% cloud
Water73°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
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Black sea bass in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Tar Hole Inlet

Depth
1-2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBlack sea bass

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 Tar Hole Inlet

Tar Hole Inlet is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, little tunny and weakfish. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, little tunny, weakfish and bluefish, and shoulder season for king mackerel, summer flounder, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Legged Lump

    Bar · 2.1 mi

    72
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 72
    • Little tunny 67
    • Bluefish 65

    17 kt NEH 12:25 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Hatteras Inlet

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    71
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 71
    • Little tunny 70
    • Black sea bass 68

    17 kt NEH 12:25 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Cockrel Creek

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 68
    • Black sea bass 67
    • Florida pompano 65

    17 kt NEH 12:25 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Shingle Creek

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    65
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 65
    • Weakfish 64
    • Bluefish 63

    17 kt NEH 12:25 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.4 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.