CROAKER

How do you catch croaker on Hatteras Island?

Croaker share the surf and the piers with spot. Fish a bottom rig and listen for the croak when you land one.

What to use today

A croaker in the surf zone off the Outer Banks

Right now

Reading the buoys for croaker…

The croaker calendar

Prime
Good
Off

JANOff
FEBOff
MAROff
APROff
MAYGood
JUNGood
JULPrime
AUGPrime
SEPGood
OCTGood
NOVOff
DECOff

Croaker move in by late spring and stay through October, best in the heat of July and August.

What to tie on for croaker

Bait first: bloodworm. Then the rig, the sinker and the rod, the way croaker actually take them here.

Croaker bait, rig, sinker and rod table
Bait	Rig	Sinker weight	Rod and line
Bloodworm	Two-hook bottom rig, size 4-2 hooks1-2 oz bank sinker8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb lineThe top producer, same as for spot.	1-2 oz bank sinker	8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb line
Fish Bites	Two-hook bottom rig, size 4-2 hooks1-2 oz bank sinker8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb lineA bait that survives a full day on the bottom.	1-2 oz bank sinker	8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb line
Squid strip	Two-hook bottom rig, size 2/0-4/0 hooks1-2 oz bank sinker8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb lineTough texture that holds on in a running current.	1-2 oz bank sinker	8-10 ft light rod, 10-15 lb line
Small jig tipped with shrimp	1/4-3/8 oz jig headNo sinker, bounce the bottom7 ft light spinning rod, 10-15 lb lineMore engaging than soaking bait, and it works.	No sinker, bounce the bottom	7 ft light spinning rod, 10-15 lb line

Listening for croakers

Croaker earn their name from the drumming grunt they make, and on a still evening you can hear a school before you see it. They feed on the bottom in the sounds and along the beach, taking small pieces of shrimp, squid or worm on a simple rig. They are not fussy and they school in numbers, which makes them a fine target when the bigger fish are quiet. The bite is a quick double tap, and a light rod turns even a modest croaker into a lively scrap. Fish them on the last of the incoming water and the first of the drop, when the current carries scent along the bottom. After dark the bite is liveliest, and the drumming that gives the whole family its name carries clearly across the calm water. A small piece of bait out-fishes a big one here; the croakers are feeding on fragments, not mouthfuls. They share the same bottom as the spot, so a mixed session on one rig is the usual outcome.

Water: Surf zonePiersInletsChesapeake Bay and sounds
Methods: Bottom fishing with two-hook rigFloat fishing near structureCasting small jigs tipped with bait

Three things that matter for croaker

Fish the slack and the first of the incoming tide. Croaker feed best when the water is not ripping.
Pier pilings at night hold the bigger croaker. Fish the lights and the shadow line.
Use slightly bigger hooks than you would for spot. Croaker have a bigger mouth than they get credit for.