Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Red drumPeak season

Cape · New Jersey

Cedar Point

39.95°N · 74.19°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Spot

82/100Great
Now
817 PM EDT
Best window
7-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.9 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Cedar Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score81Great
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NNE
Wind5 kn Sgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherClear9% cloud
Water72°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 NJFW before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 5 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Red drum in New Jersey

Spot profile

Cedar Point

Depth
2-6 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM, New Jersey. Depth in the nearest water is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, spot and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, bluefish and king mackerel. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot 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.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Crossway Creek

    Bay · 4.3 mi

    86
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 86
    • Little tunny 80
    • Spanish mackerel 80

    5 kt SL 11:04 PM · 0.1 ftH 5:02 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Flag Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    81
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 81
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spot 79

    5 kt SL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:05 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Money Island

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    81
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 81
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spot 79

    5 kt SL 10:39 PM · 0.5 ftH 4:05 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Coates Point

    Cape · 4.0 mi

    81
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 81
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spot 79

    10 kt SL 10:46 PM · 0.1 ftH 4:36 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.