Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Bar · North Carolina

Catfish Point

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Red drum

76/100Great
Now
605 AM EST
Best window
11 AM-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score72Great
Tide1.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward W
Wind8 kn ENEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherClear8% cloud
Water66°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red drum 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 Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red drum in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Catfish Point

Depth
4-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonRed drum

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 striped bass. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, black sea bass and weakfish, 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.

Tackle & technique

Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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 · 1.8 mi

    75
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 75
    • Bluefish 72
    • Little tunny 72

    9 kt NEL 6:46 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ft

  • Cape Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    67
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 67
    • Little tunny 65
    • Striped bass 63

    14 kt NEL 6:29 AM · 0.6 ftH 1:02 PM · 4.1 ft

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Bluefish 65
    • Striped bass 62

    14 kt NEL 6:46 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ft

  • Lookout Bight

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    66
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 66
    • Bluefish 65
    • Red drum 65

    14 kt NEL 6:46 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:05 PM · 4.4 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.