Waterlands

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BluefishPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Drum Point

35.34°N · 76.14°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Bluefish

84/100Great
Now
656 PM EST
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 11 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score76Great
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind6 kn NWgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water67°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak

Bluefish season by week of the year. Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Drum Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBluefish

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 Drum Point

Drum Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, spotted seatrout and bluefish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Red drum peak from August through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Harbor Creek

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 75

    4 kt ENEL 11:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:16 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Juniper Creek

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    76
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 76
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Red drum 75

    6 kt NEL 11:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:16 AM · 0.7 ft

  • East Bluff Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 75
    • Red drum 73

    4 kt ENEL 11:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:16 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Southwest Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    74
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Red drum 72

    4 kt ENEL 11:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:16 AM · 0.7 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.