Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Otter Pond Point

35.34°N · 75.52°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 8 AM · Red drum

79/100Great
Now
5912 PM EST
Best window
2-6 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score59Good
Tide0.2 ftLow
Current0.7 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind11 kn SEgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 6 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy42% cloud
Water66°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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 3 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 3 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red drum in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Otter Pond Point

Depth
2-3 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 Otter Pond Point

Otter Pond Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are red drum, little tunny and black sea bass. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, black sea bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for striped bass, summer flounder, black drum and red snapper. Red drum peak from August through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November.

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.
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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Canadian Hole

    Bay · 3.5 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Black sea bass 65
    • Bluefish 63

    11 kt SEH 3:29 PM · 3.3 ftL 9:44 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Gibbs Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    61
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 61
    • Little tunny 58
    • Spotted seatrout 56

    11 kt SEH 6:20 PM · 0.6 ftL 1:40 AM · 0.1 ft

  • Mill Creek

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    59
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 59
    • Black sea bass 54
    • Spotted seatrout 54

    11 kt SEH 6:20 PM · 0.6 ftL 1:40 AM · 0.1 ft

  • Devil Shoals

    Bar · 4.5 mi

    57
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 57
    • Little tunny 54
    • Bluefish 53

    11 kt SEH 6:20 PM · 0.6 ftL 1:40 AM · 0.1 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.