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Spotted seatroutPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper66
- King mackerel66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Summer flounder65
- Atlantic croaker64
- Crevalle jack64
- Spot64
- Red drum62
- Black drum58
- Red snapper58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Southern flounder57
- Black sea bass55
- Florida pompano54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Little tunny54
- Gag grouper53
- Greater amberjack53
- Red grouper53
- Weakfish52
- Sheepshead49
- Cobia48
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 5810 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bluff Shoal scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
39Wind: 14 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spotted seatrout is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spotted seatrout is best here
Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bluff Shoal
- Depth
- 8-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpotted seatrout
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 Bluff Shoal
Bluff Shoal is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 8-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, king mackerel and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for gray snapper, king mackerel, Atlantic tarpon and summer flounder, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Gray snapper peak from June through September. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Southwest Bay75
Bay · 6.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 74
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Drum Point70
Cape · 6.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Atlantic tarpon 70
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Bluff Shoal66
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 66
- King mackerel 66
- Summer flounder 65
14 kt NEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ft
- Sevenfoot Patch65
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Gray snapper 65
- King mackerel 65
14 kt NEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 1.0 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.