UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
BluefishPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all60
- Bluefish60
- Weakfish59
- Little tunny57
- Black sea bass56
- Florida pompano56
- Red drum56
- Atlantic croaker54
- Spot54
- Gag grouper51
- Summer flounder51
- Black drum49
- Red snapper49
- Sheepshead44
- King mackerel43
- Crevalle jack42
- Red grouper40
- Gray triggerfish39
- Greater amberjack37
- Striped bass35
- Atlantic tarpon34
- Gray snapper33
- Spanish mackerel33
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Cobia25
Best score today · 1 AM · Red drum
- Now
- 6010 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tar Hole Inlet scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
46Wind: 17 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 66°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.4 ftSeason & habitat · Bluefish
Species seasonality
85Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Bluefish is best here
Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Tar Hole Inlet
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · 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 Tar Hole Inlet
Tar Hole Inlet is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are bluefish, weakfish and little tunny. It is peak season now for bluefish, weakfish, little tunny and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Weakfish peak from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November.
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
- Hatteras Inlet62
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 62
- Bluefish 60
- Weakfish 60
17 kt NEH 12:47 AM · 1.9 ftL 5:49 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cockrel Creek61
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 61
- Weakfish 60
- Atlantic croaker 58
17 kt NEH 12:47 AM · 1.9 ftL 5:49 AM · 0.3 ft
- Legged Lump58
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: BluefishPeak season- Bluefish 58
- Florida pompano 57
- Black sea bass 56
17 kt NEH 12:47 AM · 1.9 ftL 5:49 AM · 0.3 ft
- Shingle Creek56
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 56
- Bluefish 56
- Weakfish 56
17 kt NEH 12:47 AM · 1.9 ftL 5:49 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.
