Waterlands

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Red snapperShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Cape Point

34.58°N · 76.53°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 7 PM · Red snapper

76/100Great
Now
5610 PM EST
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 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
Score60Good
Tide2.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward ESE
Wind8 kn Wgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 9 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water67°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red snapper 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 snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 25 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 25 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Cape Point

Depth
5-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonRed snapper

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 Cape Point

Cape Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Red snapper
Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Barden Inlet

    Channel · 3.8 mi

    69
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Red drum 69
    • Weakfish 69

    6 kt ENEH 2:49 AM · 4.3 ftL 9:17 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Lookout Bight

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Bluefish 65
    • Weakfish 65

    9 kt ENEH 2:49 AM · 4.3 ftL 9:17 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Catfish Point

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    66
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 66
    • Little tunny 66
    • Black sea bass 64

    9 kt ENEH 2:49 AM · 4.3 ftL 9:17 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Bluefish 65
    • Black sea bass 64

    9 kt ENEH 2:49 AM · 4.3 ftL 9:17 AM · 0.8 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.