Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Pingleton Point

35.58°N · 75.88°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Red drum

80/100Great
Now
698 AM EST
Best window
12-5 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score66Great
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind4 kn NEgusts 14 · steady
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy24% cloud
Water66°FPersisted

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 · 4 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red drum in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Pingleton Point

Depth
1-6 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 Pingleton Point

Pingleton 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 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spotted seatrout and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, black sea bass and weakfish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Rawls Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Black sea bass 73
    • Spotted seatrout 72

    8 kt NNEL 11:11 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:23 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Pains Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Spotted seatrout 72
    • Black sea bass 71

    8 kt NNEL 11:11 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:23 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Juniper Swamp Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Spotted seatrout 72
    • Black sea bass 71

    8 kt NNEL 11:11 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:23 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Otter Creek

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    77
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 77
    • Red drum 76
    • Southern flounder 76

    8 kt NNEL 11:11 AM · 0.3 ftH 5:23 PM · 0.7 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.