Waterlands

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WeakfishPeak season

Gut · North Carolina

Whalebone Inlet

35.02°N · 76.11°W · Gut · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Weakfish

77/100Great
Now
648 AM EST
Best window
3-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 11 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score76Great
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.1 kn · toward E
Wind11 kn NWgusts 20 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water72°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Weakfish 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 Weakfish is best here

Peak season for Weakfish · 4 more weeks at peak

Weakfish season by week of the year. Peak season for Weakfish · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Weakfish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Whalebone Inlet

Depth
1-2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Inlet · Inner · ProtectedInlet · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonWeakfish

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 Whalebone Inlet

Whalebone Inlet is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, little tunny and weakfish. It is peak season now for black sea bass, little tunny, weakfish and bluefish, and shoulder season for summer flounder, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and spot. Black sea bass 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

Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
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.
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

  • Merkle Hammock

    Bar · 2.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Florida pompano 66
    • Black sea bass 65

    9 kt NEH 1:33 PM · 2.3 ftL 8:07 PM · 0.4 ft

  • High Hills Inlet

    Channel · 0.2 mi

    66
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Little tunny 66
    • Weakfish 65

    14 kt NEH 1:33 PM · 2.3 ftL 8:07 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Royal Point Bay

    Bay · 3.0 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Weakfish 64
    • Black sea bass 63

    14 kt NEH 1:33 PM · 2.3 ftL 8:07 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Daniel Swash

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    63
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 63
    • Black sea bass 61
    • Weakfish 61

    14 kt NEH 1:33 PM · 2.3 ftL 8:07 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.