Waterlands

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BluefishPeak 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 AM · Bluefish

77/100Great
Now
652 AM EST
Best window
7-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 1 PM

Time1P
Score79Great
Tide1.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward W
Wind8 kn NNEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% 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

Cape Point

Depth
5-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Outer · 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 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 Florida pompano. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, Florida pompano and red drum, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and black drum. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Little tunny peak from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and 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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Barden Inlet

    Channel · 3.8 mi

    71
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 71
    • Red drum 68
    • Bluefish 67

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

  • Catfish Point

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    68
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 68
    • Bluefish 65
    • Little tunny 65

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

  • Lookout Bight

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Weakfish 67
    • Florida pompano 66

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

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 64
    • Red drum 63

    9 kt EH 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.