Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Dulls Point

35.70°N · 75.50°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 7 PM · Red drum

82/100Great
Now
796 AM EDT
Best window
6-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score79Great
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward NNE
Wind6 kn SWgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 5 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red drum 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 Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 10 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 10 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red drum in North Carolina

Spot profile

Dulls Point

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonRed drum

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 Dulls Point

Dulls Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are red drum, spotted seatrout and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, black drum and cobia. Red drum peak from August through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

Tackle & technique

Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • The Trench

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    88
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 88
    • Spotted seatrout 84
    • Atlantic croaker 80

    6 kt SWL 8:11 AM · 0.2 ftH 2:09 PM · 1.0 ft

  • 86
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 86
    • Atlantic croaker 84
    • Spotted seatrout 84

    6 kt SWL 10:35 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:48 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Terrapin Creek Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    83
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 83
    • Spotted seatrout 81
    • Atlantic croaker 80

    6 kt SWL 8:11 AM · 0.2 ftH 2:09 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Pea Island Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    83
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 83
    • Spotted seatrout 81
    • Atlantic croaker 80

    6 kt SWL 8:11 AM · 0.2 ftH 2:09 PM · 1.0 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.