Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · Maryland

North Point

38.78°N · 76.37°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 10 PM · Red drum

76/100Great
Now
707 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood 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 · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score70Great
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind6 kn SSWgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy72% chance of rain
Water78°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red drum is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.

Source: Maryland DNR · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Red drum in Maryland

Spot profile

North Point

Depth
2-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonRed drum

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 North Point

North Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are red drum, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, spot and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for spotted seatrout, striped bass, bluefish and Atlantic croaker. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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.
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

  • Ferry Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Spot 74
    • Spanish mackerel 70

    6 kt SSWH 12:48 AM · 1.8 ftL 8:01 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Poplar Island Narrows

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    75
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 75
    • Spot 72
    • Spanish mackerel 71

    6 kt SSWH 12:59 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:31 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Punch Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 68

    6 kt SSWH 12:48 AM · 1.8 ftL 8:01 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Valliant Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 66

    6 kt SSWH 12:59 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:31 AM · 0.9 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 Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.