Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Sandy Point

35.63°N · 75.73°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 7 AM · Red drum

85/100Epic
Now
645 AM EST
Best window
6-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score80Great
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind6 kn Egusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water64°FBias corrected

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

Sandy Point

Depth
2-10 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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 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 Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, red drum and bluefish, 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. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

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

  • Stumpy Point Bay

    Bay · 4.9 mi

    73
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 73
    • Spot 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    5 kt NEL 10:59 AM · 0.2 ftH 5:17 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    71
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 71
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    6 kt NEL 10:59 AM · 0.2 ftH 5:17 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Parched Corn Bay

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    71
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spotted seatrout 68

    6 kt NEH 5:16 AM · 0.7 ftL 11:59 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Drain Point

    Cape · 4.0 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spotted seatrout 67
    • Atlantic croaker 65

    5 kt NEL 10:59 AM · 0.2 ftH 5:17 PM · 0.5 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.