Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Red drumPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Bull Point

35.96°N · 76.37°W · Cape · Albemarle Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 PM · Red drum

75/100Great
Now
726 AM EDT
Best window
5-10 PMDusk

Data from: ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Bull Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score72Great
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward E
Wind6 kn SWgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water81°FModel

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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 10 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 10 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red drum in North Carolina

Spot profile

Bull Point

Depth
1-3 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 Bull Point

Bull Point is a cape in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are red drum, spotted seatrout and southern flounder. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout, southern flounder and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, gray triggerfish and little tunny. Red drum peak from August through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Southern flounder peak from September through November.

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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Southern flounder
Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bull Bay

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Red drum 67
    • Spot 67

    6 kt SW

  • Drummond Point

    Cape · 7.9 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Red drum 63
    • Spot 62

    6 kt SW

  • Bluff Point

    Cape · 6.7 mi

    61
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 61
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic croaker 56

    6 kt SW

  • Horniblow Point

    Cape · 12 mi

    59
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 59
    • Red drum 58
    • Atlantic croaker 54

    6 kt SW

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.