Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Shell Point

34.55°N · 77.34°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 8 AM · Spotted seatrout

78/100Great
Now
628 AM EST
Best window
2-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score62Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind9 kn NNEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water68°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 4 more weeks at peak

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
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Spotted seatrout in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Shell Point

Depth
2-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Shell Point

Shell Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Red drum 73
    • Black sea bass 72

    9 kt NNEH 12:33 PM · 3.7 ftL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Howard Bay

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    75
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 75
    • Little tunny 74
    • Weakfish 74

    9 kt NNEH 12:33 PM · 3.7 ftL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Mile Hammock Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    75
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 75
    • Little tunny 74
    • Weakfish 74

    9 kt NNEH 12:33 PM · 3.7 ftL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Traps Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    75
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 75
    • Little tunny 74
    • Weakfish 74

    9 kt NNEH 12:33 PM · 3.7 ftL 7:10 PM · 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.