Waterlands

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BluefishPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Drum Point

35.38°N · 76.41°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 5 PM · Bluefish

80/100Great
Now
693 PM EST
Best window
3-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 8 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score72Great
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind5 kn SEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 6 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy65% 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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

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, black sea bass and weakfish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, weakfish and bluefish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and sheepshead. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Weakfish peak from October 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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Point of Narrows

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    75
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 75
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73

    13 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Drum Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Weakfish 72
    • Spotted seatrout 71

    13 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Middle Creek

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    72
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 72
    • Red drum 70
    • Spot 70

    13 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Tolers Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    72
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 72
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spot 70

    13 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 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.