Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Sand Hill Point

35.00°N · 76.34°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Red drum

84/100Great
Now
795 PM EST
Best window
5-9 PMFalling pressure
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 9 PM

Time9P
Score85Epic
Tide0.1 ft ▼Ebbing
Current1.0 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind5 kn ENEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy77% cloud
Water68°FModel

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.

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

Sand Hill Point

Depth
About 1 ftNearest water
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 Sand Hill Point

Sand Hill Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is about 1 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, spotted seatrout and little tunny. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout, little tunny and bluefish, and shoulder season for striped bass, summer flounder, black drum and Atlantic croaker. Red drum peak from August through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Little tunny peak 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Deep Bend Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    81
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 81
    • Spotted seatrout 78
    • Little tunny 74

    7 kt SEH 9:59 PM · 0.3 ftL 1:30 AM · 0.3 ft

  • North Bay

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    79
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Weakfish 71

    7 kt SEH 9:59 PM · 0.3 ftL 1:30 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Sand Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    79
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Little tunny 73

    7 kt SEH 9:59 PM · 0.3 ftL 1:30 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Green Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    79
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Little tunny 73

    7 kt SEH 9:59 PM · 0.3 ftL 1:30 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.