Species guide · North Carolina
Crevalle jack fishing in North Carolina
Caranx hippos, a nearshore species also called jack crevalle, jack and common jack. Listed for the South Atlantic region. Peak season, about 5 more weeks.
Right now it scores best in Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 NM at 79, one of 9 North Carolina bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Peak seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
South Atlantic
Peak season, about 5 more weeks- Jan: Off season
- Feb: Off season
- Mar: Off season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Off season
- Dec: Off season
Peak: Jul to Oct. In season (shoulder or peak): Apr to Oct.
Research notes, South Atlantic region
SCDNR describes crevalle as summer-only in South Carolina, leaving as water cools in fall. Florida east coast inlets from Jupiter to St. Augustine see big schools on the September and October mullet run.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 9
North Carolina bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's crevalle jack score this hour.
Best window today 5-8 PM (80) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 PM (82) · 7 named spots
Best window today 5-8 PM (79) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 PM (81) · 1 named spot
Best window today 5-8 PM (78) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 PM (79) · 260 named spots
Best window today 5-9 PM (78) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (78) · 331 named spots
Best window today 6-9 PM (82) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (84) · 49 named spots
Best window today 5-10 PM (72) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (78) · 26 named spots
Best window today 5-8 PM (72) · Best day Sat, Sep 26 at 9 AM (78) · 75 named spots
Best window today 5-9 PM (76) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (76) · 134 named spots
Best window today 5-9 PM (69) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (75) · 21 named spots
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 65°F to 92°F, best between 70°F and 85°F.
- Water depth
- 1 to 60 ft of water.
- Structure
- Inlet, pass, jetty, bridge, channel, bay and beach, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers moving water, with moderate current.Jacks chase bait wherever current concentrates it, so inlet and pass mouths on either tide and rips along jetties are the places to look. Tide stage matters less than finding bait and birds.
- Light
- Bites best around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 20 kt of wind and 4 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
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.
- Methods
- casting to surface schools, live bait, trolling, fly fishing
- Lures
- topwater popper, spoon, bucktail jig, soft plastic swimbait, baitfish fly
- Bait
- live mullet, pilchard, pinfish, ladyfish
Regulations
North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Synced with NCDMF Sep 18, 2026.
No reviewed crevalle jack rule for North Carolina is on file yet. Check with NCDMF before you keep one.
Other North Carolina species
- Atlantic croaker
- Atlantic tarpon
- Gray snapper
- King mackerel
- Red drum
- Southern flounder
- Spot
- Spotted seatrout
- Summer flounder
- Black drum
- Black sea bass
- Cobia
- Florida pompano
- Gag grouper
- Gray triggerfish
- Greater amberjack
- Little tunny
- Mahi-mahi
- Red grouper
- Red snapper
- Sheepshead
- Spanish mackerel
- Wahoo
- Weakfish
- Bluefish
- Sailfish
- Yellowfin tuna
- Atlantic bluefin tuna
- Striped bass