Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Horse Point

35.38°N · 76.82°W · Cape · Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

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Best score today · 6 AM · Little tunny

76/100Great
Now
668 AM EST
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 15 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score75Great
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Wind2 kn Sgusts 7 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy63% cloud

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 · 4 more weeks at peak

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

Little tunny in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Horse Point

Depth
1-6 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Horse Point

Horse Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-6 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, Florida pompano and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for little tunny, Florida pompano, spotted seatrout and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and summer flounder. Little tunny peak from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
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

  • Core Point Shoal

    Bar · 3.3 mi

    72
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 72
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spotted seatrout 62

    5 kt NNEH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Mixon Creek

    Bay · 4.3 mi

    69
    Top: Southern flounderPeak season
    • Southern flounder 69
    • Red drum 68
    • Spotted seatrout 67

    5 kt NNEH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Midgette Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Florida pompano 65
    • Spotted seatrout 62

    5 kt NNEH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Durham Creek Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Florida pompano 65
    • Spotted seatrout 62

    5 kt NNEH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:30 PM · 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.