Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelOff season

Cape · North Carolina

Stumpy Point

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

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Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

80/100Great
Now
3512 AM EDT
Best window
5-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 3 AM

Time3A
Score28Fair
Tide0.2 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind11 kn NWgusts 23 · steady
Air temp50°Cool
WeatherMostly cloudy76% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spanish mackerel 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 Spanish mackerel is best here

Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 18 weeks

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 18 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Stumpy Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Off seasonSpanish mackerel

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 spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and striped bass. 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

Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament 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

    77
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 77
    • Spotted seatrout 73
    • Southern flounder 71

    5 kt NNEH 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

    5 kt NNEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Weakfish 69
    • Bluefish 67

    5 kt NNEH 1:14 AM · 0.4 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Bluefish 68
    • Weakfish 68

    5 kt NNEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 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.