Waterlands

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BluefishPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Deep Ditch Point

36.00°N · 75.68°W · Cape · Croatan and Roanoke Sounds

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Best score today · 5 PM · Bluefish

79/100Great
Now
6612 PM EST
Best window
3-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 8 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score73Great
Tide2.0 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind5 kn NEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 9 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast93% cloud
Water66°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

Deep Ditch Point

Depth
1-4 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 Deep Ditch Point

Deep Ditch Point is a cape in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 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, black sea bass and weakfish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, weakfish and bluefish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and sheepshead. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November.

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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bens Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    76
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 76
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Bluefish 67

    7 kt NEH 4:58 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Mann Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    76
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 76
    • Red drum 75
    • Spotted seatrout 73

    7 kt NEH 1:23 PM · 3.9 ftL 8:06 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Colington Creek

    Gut · 1.8 mi

    76
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 76
    • Black sea bass 75
    • Red drum 74

    7 kt NEH 1:27 PM · 3.8 ftL 8:07 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Buzzard Bay

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Weakfish 72
    • Black sea bass 70

    7 kt NEH 1:27 PM · 3.8 ftL 8:07 PM · 0.7 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.