Waterlands

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Little tunnyShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

North Bluff Point

35.35°N · 76.11°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Little tunny

74/100Great
Now
512 PM EDT
Best window
3 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score51Good
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind9 kn ENEgusts 22 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherOvercast86% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Little tunny is best here

Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder

Little tunny season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Little tunny in North Carolina

Spot profile

North Bluff Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 North Bluff Point

North Bluff 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 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and black drum. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

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.
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

  • Harbor Creek

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67
    • Crevalle jack 66

    8 kt ENEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft

  • East Bluff Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    8 kt ENEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Juniper Creek

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    65
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spot 64

    9 kt ENEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Sage Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    65
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spot 64

    9 kt ENEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 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.