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 · 6 AM · Bluefish

80/100Great
Now
726 AM EST
Best window
6-8 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 15 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score74Great
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Wind2 kn SSWgusts 8 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy49% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

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, spotted seatrout and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, red drum and weakfish, 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

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.
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

    83
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 83
    • Red drum 82
    • Weakfish 79

    9 kt NEH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Point of Narrows

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    83
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 83
    • Spotted seatrout 82
    • Little tunny 80

    9 kt NEH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Middle Creek

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    81
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 81
    • Spotted seatrout 80
    • Weakfish 79

    9 kt NEH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Tolers Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

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

    9 kt NEH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ftL 2:30 PM · 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.