Waterlands

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Summer flounderShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Cradle Point

35.43°N · 76.67°W · Cape · Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

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Best score today · 5 PM · Summer flounder

80/100Great
Now
597 PM EST
Best window
7-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score64Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward N
Wind4 kn Sgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 5 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water66°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Summer flounder 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 Summer flounder is best here

Shoulder season for Summer flounder · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Summer flounder season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Summer flounder · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Summer flounder in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Cradle Point

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSummer flounder

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 Cradle Point

Cradle Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 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, spotted seatrout and weakfish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, weakfish and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Weakfish peak from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Ashon Gut

    Gut · 0.8 mi

    78
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 78
    • Weakfish 78
    • Red drum 77

    6 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cousin Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    78
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 78
    • Red drum 77
    • Southern flounder 75

    6 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Farrow Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    73
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 73
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Weakfish 69

    6 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Chambers Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    73
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 73
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Weakfish 69

    6 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 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.