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319-acre Alligator Bay fishing map with NOAA BlueTopo contours (95.57% measured, 95.82% assessed), exact NOAA ESI fish and nursery occurrence, measured USACE channel and 2021 NC DMF seagrass spots, two verified ramps, three forage calendars and current North Carolina rules. The water tops out around 14 ft. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The channels, holes and drop-offs come from the source data, not a distance-from-shore model. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
The outline encloses 318 acres, worked by 4.6 miles of shoreline, broken up by 7 islands. A middling shoreline index (1.8) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. Call it 1.2 mi long by 0.6 mi wide at the broadest reach. If the bite dies, Stump Sound is 6 mi to the southwest.
Early season red drum (redfish) use the shallows, holding in 1 to 8 ft. Summer is a 2 to 12 ft game here, winter a 3 to 14 ft one. The chart's best answer is Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge — channel edge, 7 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a weedless gold spoon or a paddletail swimbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge (2 ft) | Gold weedless spoon, Paddletail on 1/4 oz jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Weedless gold spoon, Paddletail swimbait |
| Fall | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & midday | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | 1/2 oz spoon (schools), Big paddletail |
| Winter | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Scented soft plastic on 1/8 oz head, Slow-rolled paddletail |
In spring, spotted seatrout run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge is the standout, a seagrass edge at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring spotted seatrout. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a popping cork + shrimp or a 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge (2 ft) | Topwater walker, Suspending twitchbait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Popping cork + shrimp, 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (deep grass edge) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | dawn | 2021 NC DMF mapped patchy SAV edge (2 ft) | Popping cork rig, Soft plastic jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dusk | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Suspending twitchbait (long pauses), Scented plastic crawled on bottom |
Spring southern flounder on Alligator Bay hold shallow, usually 2 to 14 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 2 to 14 ft in summer, 4 to 14 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge — channel edge, 7 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a jighead + gulp swimming mullet or a bucktail tipped with shrimp.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + paddletail (white/chartreuse), Bucktail + Gulp shrimp |
| Summer | 2 to 14 ft | dawn | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Jighead + Gulp swimming mullet, Bucktail tipped with shrimp |
| Fall | 3 to 14 ft | midday | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | 3/8 oz bucktail + Gulp (passes), Big paddletail on the jetty edge |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Slow jig + scented grub in the holes |
When the water first warms, black drum slide up into 2 to 14 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 14 ft, winter 3 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge: a channel edge around 7 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a shrimp imitation dragged slowly or a small crab jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 14 ft | midday & dusk | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Crab-tipped bottom jig, Shrimp on a jighead |
| Summer | 2 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Shrimp imitation dragged slowly, Small crab jig |
| Fall | 3 to 14 ft | dawn | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Crab-tipped jig, Scented shrimp jig |
| Winter | 3 to 14 ft | midday | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Heavy bottom jig + crab |
Spring sheepshead on Alligator Bay hold shallow, usually 3 to 14 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 14 ft in summer, 4 to 14 ft once it turns cold. Put Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge first on the milk run — a channel edge near 7 ft that grades good for spring. The feeding windows run early morning. The summer box starts with a small jig + crab piece.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | 1/4 oz jighead + fiddler, Sheepshead jig + shrimp piece |
| Summer | 3 to 14 ft | dawn | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Small jig + crab piece |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge (7 ft) | Jighead + shrimp, Small crab jig |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | open water | Heavier jig + crab (deep pilings) |
8 pieces of structure are mapped here — Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge, around 10 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission — Boating Access Areas (OBJECTID 144). Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for North Carolina waters are set by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries — and special regulations can apply to Alligator Bay specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official North Carolina fishing regulations →
Alligator Bay is about 14 ft (4 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart is built from real agency bathymetry referenced to NAVD88; directly measured coverage remains distinguished from source interpolation. The contours reflect measured and quality-assessed source depths.
Anglers target red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout, southern flounder, black drum, sheepshead on Alligator Bay.
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway - BFTCFR - Section 3 - Tangent 3 channel edge is the top-rated area: a channel edge in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for black drum in winter. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For red drum (redfish), the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Alligator Bay is regulated by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Check the official North Carolina regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Stump Sound 6 mi · Salliers Bay 7 mi · Topsail Sound 14 mi · Bogue Sound 31 mi · Masonboro Inlet 32 mi · Northeast Cape Fear River 35 mi, NC/SC · Money Island Bay 41 mi · Cape Fear River - Reach 2 of 2 46 mi, NC/SC · Cape Fear River - Reach 1 of 2 49 mi, NC/SC · Back Sound 49 mi · Lookout Bight 50 mi · Jarrett Bay 56 mi
See how Alligator Bay stacks up: best red drum (redfish) lakes in North Carolina · best spotted seatrout lakes in North Carolina · best southern flounder lakes in North Carolina · best sheepshead lakes in North Carolina
Browse all North Carolina fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA BlueTopo (NAVD88; 96% measured, 0% source-interpolated). How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.