Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

South Point

34.95°N · 76.28°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Red drum

75/100Great
Now
678 PM EST
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 PM · now

Time8PNOW
Score67Great
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind7 kn SEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.3 ft · 7 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy50% cloud
Water67°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.

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

South 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 South Point

South 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, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, bluefish and black sea bass, and shoulder season for striped bass, black drum, Atlantic croaker and spot. Red drum peak from August through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cedar Island Bay

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Spotted seatrout 68
    • Weakfish 68

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

  • Cedar Island Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spotted seatrout 63

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

  • Rumley Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    66
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 66
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spot 64

    7 kt SEL 2:15 AM · 0.1 ftH 8:08 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Lookout Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    61
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 61
    • Little tunny 61
    • Bluefish 60

    7 kt SEL 2:15 AM · 0.1 ftH 8:08 AM · 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.