Waterlands

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BluefishPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Stumpy Point

35.76°N · 75.99°W · Cape · Alligator River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Bluefish

80/100Great
Now
651 AM EDT
Best window
5-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 9 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score72Great
Tide0.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward E
Wind6 kn NNEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp55°Cool
WeatherPartly cloudy33% cloud
Water67°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Bluefish is best here

Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak

Bluefish season by week of the year. Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Stumpy Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBluefish

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 Stumpy Point

Stumpy Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, weakfish and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, bluefish and southern flounder, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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.
Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    75
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 75
    • Southern flounder 70
    • Spotted seatrout 70

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    72
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 72
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Southern flounder 69

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Weakfish 66
    • Bluefish 65

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Weakfish 67
    • Southern flounder 65

    6 kt NEH 1:14 AM · 0.4 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.2 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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.