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Red drumPeak seasonCape · Virginia
North End Point
37.94°N · 75.71°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Spot
- 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
Notify me when North End Point 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
Sunday, Sep 20 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 5 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
100Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Spot
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red drum is best here
Peak season for Red drum · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
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 Bay79
Bay · 0.7 mi
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 Point71
Cape · 1.8 mi
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 Point68
Cape · 2.6 mi
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 Point68
Cape · 2.7 mi
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.
