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Little tunnyShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel67
- Gray snapper65
- Red drum64
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Atlantic croaker59
- Summer flounder58
- Crevalle jack57
- Greater amberjack54
- Red snapper54
- Florida pompano51
- Gray triggerfish51
- Spanish mackerel51
- Spot51
- Black sea bass50
- Red grouper50
- Black drum49
- Gag grouper49
- Weakfish48
- Little tunny47
- Cobia45
- Sheepshead43
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 4711 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb current
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Howard Reef scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
85Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 14 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
30Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.2 ftSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
67Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Little tunny is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Little tunny is best here
Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Howard Reef
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLittle tunny
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 Howard Reef
Howard Reef is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for greater amberjack, red snapper, Florida pompano and gray triggerfish. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Teaches Hole Channel56
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 56
- Crevalle jack 55
- Red drum 55
20 kt NEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ft
- Northern Pond55
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 55
- Gray snapper 55
- Red drum 55
20 kt NEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ft
- Gap Point52
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 52
- Gray snapper 51
- Crevalle jack 50
20 kt NEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ft
- Horsepen Point52
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 52
- Gray snapper 51
- Crevalle jack 50
20 kt NEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 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.