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Spotted seatroutPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot72
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Crevalle jack64
- Gray snapper64
- Red drum63
- Florida pompano62
- King mackerel60
- Summer flounder58
- Southern flounder56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Black drum55
- Red snapper54
- Spanish mackerel53
- Black sea bass51
- Gray triggerfish51
- Weakfish51
- Gag grouper50
- Red grouper50
- Sheepshead50
- Little tunny48
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 5610 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
68Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
44Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spotted seatrout is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spotted seatrout is best here
Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
West Bay
- Depth
- 10-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpotted seatrout
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 West Bay
West Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 10-15 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 crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Meredith Bend73
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 65
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Newstump Bay73
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Red drum 67
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Newstump Point67
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Gray snapper 60
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Point of Grass67
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Red drum 67
- Spot 67
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 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.