Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · Virginia

North End Point

37.94°N · 75.71°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 PM · Spot

78/100Great
Now
712 AM EDT
Best window
5-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Sep 19 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score77Great
Tide2.0 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NE
Wind7 kn NNEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy27% cloud
Water79°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 VMRC 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 Virginia

Spot profile

North End Point

Depth
1-6 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 North End Point

North End Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are red drum, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for red drum, spot, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for spotted seatrout, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and bluefish. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spotted seatrout peak from October through November.

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.
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.
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

  • Robin Hood Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    79
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 79
    • Spot 73
    • Spotted seatrout 71

    6 kt WSWH 5:48 AM · 2.1 ftL 12:09 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Pig Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Spot 68
    • Spotted seatrout 63

    6 kt WSWH 5:48 AM · 2.1 ftL 12:09 PM · 0.8 ft

  • North Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Spot 64
    • Spotted seatrout 60

    6 kt WSWH 5:23 AM · 2.0 ftL 12:10 PM · 1.1 ft

  • Persimmon Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Spot 63
    • Spotted seatrout 60

    6 kt WSWH 6:03 AM · 2.1 ftL 12:50 PM · 0.9 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.