Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

BluefishPeak season

Bar · North Carolina

Catfish Point

34.61°N · 76.54°W · Bar · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Little tunny

66/100Great
Now
6111 PM EST
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding3.5 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Catfish Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score61Good
Tide3.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward ESE
Wind16 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.7 ft · 5 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water65°FObserved

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.

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

Catfish Point

Depth
4-9 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 Catfish Point

Catfish Point is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-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, summer flounder, Atlantic croaker 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 · 1.8 mi

    71
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 71
    • Red drum 70
    • Bluefish 68

    11 kt NEH 12:38 AM · 4.0 ftL 6:46 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Lookout Bight

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    63
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 63
    • Weakfish 62
    • Bluefish 60

    16 kt NEH 12:38 AM · 4.0 ftL 6:46 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Cape Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    62
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 62
    • Striped bass 60
    • Little tunny 59

    16 kt NEH 12:30 AM · 3.3 ftL 6:29 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Bluefish 60
    • Striped bass 60

    16 kt NEH 12:38 AM · 4.0 ftL 6:46 AM · 0.9 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.