Waterlands

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Little tunnyShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Horse Point

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Little tunny

63/100Good
Now
527 AM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.3 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score52Good
Tide0.3 ftLow
Wind11 kn NNEgusts 20 · steady
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% 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

Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder

Little tunny season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • 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
Shoulder 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 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, little tunny and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, summer flounder and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for little tunny, weakfish, Florida pompano and black sea bass. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from October through November. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Mixon Creek

    Bay · 4.3 mi

    56
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 56
    • Southern flounder 56
    • Red drum 55

    11 kt NNEH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ftL 7:02 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Core Point Shoal

    Bar · 3.3 mi

    55
    Top: Summer flounderPeak season
    • Summer flounder 55
    • King mackerel 52
    • Crevalle jack 51

    11 kt NNEH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ftL 7:02 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Midgette Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    52
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 52
    • Little tunny 52
    • Crevalle jack 51

    11 kt NNEH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ftL 7:02 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Durham Creek Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    52
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 52
    • Little tunny 52
    • Crevalle jack 51

    11 kt NNEH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ftL 7:02 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.