Waterlands

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WeakfishPeak season

Bar · North Carolina

Bluff Shoal

35.25°N · 76.09°W · Bar · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Weakfish

79/100Great
Now
722 AM EST
Best window
6-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score72Great
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward N
Wind5 kn ENEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 6 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherClear3% cloud
Water65°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Weakfish 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 Weakfish is best here

Peak season for Weakfish · 3 more weeks at peak

Weakfish season by week of the year. Peak season for Weakfish · 3 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Weakfish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Bluff Shoal

Depth
8-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonWeakfish

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 25 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, red drum and weakfish, and shoulder season for summer flounder, black drum, Atlantic croaker and spot. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Little tunny peak from October through November. Red drum peak from August through November.

Tackle & technique

Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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

  • Southwest Bay

    Bay · 6.7 mi

    77
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 77
    • Weakfish 77
    • Spotted seatrout 76

    4 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 0.7 ftL 12:46 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Drum Point

    Cape · 6.9 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Red drum 72
    • Weakfish 72

    4 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 0.7 ftL 12:46 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Sevenfoot Patch

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Bluefish 72
    • Spotted seatrout 72

    5 kt ENEH 3:35 AM · 1.1 ftL 10:27 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Bluff Shoal

    Bar · 1.3 mi

    73
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 73
    • Little tunny 73
    • Red drum 72

    5 kt ENEH 3:35 AM · 1.1 ftL 10:27 AM · 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.