Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Little tunnyShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Maw Point

35.15°N · 76.54°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 AM · Little tunny

72/100Great
Now
536 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Maw 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 · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score53Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherOvercast82% chance of rain
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here

Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder

Little tunny season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Little tunny in North Carolina

Spot profile

Maw Point

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonLittle tunny

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 Maw Point

Maw Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Fisherman Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 71
    • Crevalle jack 67

    12 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Maw Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 71
    • Red drum 69

    12 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Deep Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 66

    12 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Maw Point Shoal

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 66
    • King mackerel 64

    12 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 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.