Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

BluefishPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Gap Point

35.12°N · 75.98°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Little tunny

79/100Great
Now
522 AM EST
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Gap Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 7 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score77Great
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward NE
Wind8 kn NEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.7 ft · 9 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy69% cloud
Water71°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

Gap Point

Depth
2-5 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 Gap Point

Gap Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, Florida pompano and red drum, and shoulder season for spot, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and red snapper. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Little tunny peak from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and 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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Teaches Hole Channel

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    58
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Spot 56
    • Black sea bass 53

    18 kt NEL 8:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 1:43 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Old Slough

    Gut · 1.3 mi

    58
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Spot 56
    • Red drum 55

    18 kt NEL 8:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 1:43 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Northern Pond

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    55
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 55
    • Spot 55
    • Florida pompano 54

    18 kt NEL 8:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 1:43 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Horsepen Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    52
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 52
    • Little tunny 52
    • Florida pompano 50

    18 kt NEL 8:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 1:43 PM · 1.2 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.