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Little tunnyShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Crevalle jack66
- Gray snapper66
- Red drum65
- Summer flounder59
- King mackerel58
- Southern flounder56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Black drum55
- Red snapper53
- Spanish mackerel53
- Florida pompano52
- Weakfish52
- Black sea bass51
- Gray triggerfish51
- Sheepshead51
- Gag grouper49
- Red grouper49
- Cobia47
- Little tunny47
- Greater amberjack46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 4711 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when North Cove 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 + Open-Meteo Marine
69Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
69Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
39Water temp: 82°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
66Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In 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
North Cove
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Cove
North Cove is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Jenkins Cove69
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 67
- Crevalle jack 66
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Big Porpoise Bay69
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 67
- Crevalle jack 66
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Big Porpoise Point64
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Sage Point64
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Gray snapper 62
- Spot 62
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 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.
