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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 AM · Red drum
- Now
- 586 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
98Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
68Wind: 3 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Red drum
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 · 4 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 little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- Scup
- Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Robin Hood Bay70
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Scup 69
- Red drum 66
14 kt NEH 10:19 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.7 ft
- Pig Point67
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Scup 64
- Spot 64
14 kt NEH 10:19 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.7 ft
- North Point67
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Scup 63
- Spot 63
14 kt NEH 9:58 PM · 2.6 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.9 ft
- Persimmon Point63
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 63
- Scup 61
- Spot 60
14 kt NEH 10:38 PM · 2.7 ftL 5:34 AM · 0.8 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.
