Waterlands

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BluefishPeak season

Bay · North Carolina

Stumpy Point Bay

35.69°N · 75.76°W · Bay · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Bluefish

79/100Great
Now
706 PM EST
Best window
6-9 PMEbb 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

Monday, Nov 9 · 12 PM

Time12P
Score73Great
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward E
Wind6 kn NEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 6 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast98% cloud
Water67°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak

Bluefish season by week of the year. Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Stumpy Point Bay

Depth
3-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBluefish

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 Stumpy Point Bay

Stumpy Point Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are weakfish, little tunny and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for weakfish, little tunny, black sea bass and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Weakfish peak from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
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

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 4.9 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Bluefish 70

    8 kt NEL 9:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:02 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Drain Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Black sea bass 70
    • Bluefish 70

    8 kt NEL 9:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:02 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Parched Corn Bay

    Bay · 6.9 mi

    77
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 77
    • Little tunny 75
    • Spot 75

    9 kt NEL 10:46 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:18 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 5.3 mi

    75
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 75
    • Little tunny 74
    • Spot 72

    9 kt NEL 9:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:02 AM · 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.