Waterlands

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WeakfishPeak 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 · Weakfish

78/100Great
Now
6011 AM EST
Best window
3-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score66Great
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind6 kn NEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water68°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Weakfish 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 Weakfish is best here

Peak season for Weakfish · 4 more weeks at peak

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

Weakfish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Shell Point

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

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, sheepshead and red snapper. 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

Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
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

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Red drum 66

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

  • Howard Bay

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Little tunny 68

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

  • Mile Hammock Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Little tunny 68

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

  • Traps Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Little tunny 68

    9 kt NEH 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.