Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Bar · North Carolina

White Rock

34.77°N · 76.72°W · Bar · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 7 AM · Red drum

87/100Epic
Now
679 AM EST
Best window
5-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 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
Score89Epic
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward SW
Wind8 kn Egusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 6 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherClear16% cloud
Water65°FBias corrected

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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

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

White Rock

Depth
About 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 White Rock

White Rock is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are red drum, black sea bass and little tunny. It is peak season now for red drum, black sea bass, little tunny and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, summer flounder and sheepshead. Red drum peak from August through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Little tunny peak from October 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.
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.
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

  • Turtle Rock

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spotted seatrout 70

    7 kt NEH 3:32 PM · 3.5 ftL 10:06 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Lawton Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Red drum 69
    • Spotted seatrout 66

    7 kt NEH 3:17 PM · 2.7 ftL 9:55 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Penn Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spotted seatrout 65

    7 kt NEH 2:52 PM · 3.5 ftL 9:12 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Oyster Creek

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Spotted seatrout 64
    • Southern flounder 62

    7 kt NEH 3:32 PM · 3.5 ftL 10:06 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.