Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Drum Point

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

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Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker

81/100Great
Now
685 PM EST
Best window
5-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score59Good
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 19 · steady
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy83% cloud
Water66°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Drum Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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, spotted seatrout and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, red drum and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Red drum peak from August through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Drum Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    81
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 81
    • Red drum 80
    • Weakfish 75

    10 kt ENEH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:37 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Point of Narrows

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    80
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 80
    • Weakfish 79
    • Little tunny 77

    10 kt ENEH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:37 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Middle Creek

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    79
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 79
    • Red drum 78
    • Weakfish 75

    10 kt ENEH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:37 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Tolers Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    78
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 78
    • Red drum 76
    • Weakfish 75

    10 kt ENEH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:37 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.