Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Cedar Point

35.09°N · 76.59°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 3 PM · Red drum

77/100Great
Now
6911 PM EST
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score72Great
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Wind6 kn Egusts 12 · steady
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy67% cloud
Water66°FPersisted

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 3 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 3 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red drum in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Cedar Point

Depth
1-7 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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, little tunny, red drum and weakfish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Red drum peak from August 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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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

  • Gum Thicket Shoal

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    71
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Bluefish 69
    • Red drum 69

    8 kt ENEL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:06 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Skate Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    71
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Little tunny 70
    • Red drum 69

    8 kt ENEL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:06 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Bulah Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    71
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Little tunny 70
    • Red drum 69

    7 kt NEL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:06 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Fork Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    71
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Little tunny 70
    • Red drum 69

    7 kt NEL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 10:06 AM · 0.5 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.