Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Sandy Point

34.70°N · 76.52°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 8 AM · Little tunny

81/100Great
Now
727 AM EST
Best window
8-11 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 18 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score78Great
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward W
Wind7 kn NNWgusts 15 · steady
Air temp50°Cool
WeatherClear8% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Little tunny is best here

Peak season for Little tunny · 3 more weeks at peak

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

Little tunny in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Sandy Point

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Florida pompano and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, Florida pompano, black sea bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November.

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.
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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Florida pompano 67
    • Black sea bass 66

    6 kt SSEL 12:52 PM · 0.3 ftH 6:13 PM · 1.8 ft

  • White Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Little tunny 70
    • Florida pompano 66

    6 kt SSEL 12:52 PM · 0.3 ftH 6:13 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Henry Jones Creek

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Bluefish 65
    • Atlantic croaker 64

    6 kt SSEL 12:52 PM · 0.3 ftH 6:13 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Eastmouth Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    69
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Little tunny 67
    • Red drum 66

    6 kt SSEL 12:52 PM · 0.3 ftH 6:13 PM · 1.8 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.