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Species decision cards
How to catch what is running here
One card per fish: when it runs, what to put on the hook, the rig and weight to match, and whether today is worth the drive. The run and the table do not change. The call at the top is what the water is doing right now.
- Cards
- 12
- Buoy feed
- 5 min
- Regs boxes
- Sourced
The 12 cards
Start with red drum if you are here for the fall. Everything else follows the same shape: run, table, call.
RED DRUM
Start hereRed Drum
The fall run at Cape Point is the best surf drum fishing on the East Coast. This is the setup that fishes it.
- Prime
- September · October · November
- First bait
- Fresh mullet chunk
SEA MULLET
Sea Mullet
Sea mullet are the first fish back in the spring surf, and sand fleas are almost all you need.
- Prime
- May · June · September · October
- First bait
- Sand fleas
POMPANO
Pompano
Pompano arrive with the warm water and leave just as fast. Sand fleas and a light rig are the whole game.
- Prime
- August · September · October
- First bait
- Sand fleas
BLUEFISH
Bluefish
Blues will eat almost anything and fight like they mean it. Bring wire, because they cut leaders for a living.
- Prime
- April · May · October · November
- First bait
- Cut mullet or menhaden
SPANISH
Spanish Mackerel
Spanish run the beach in summer and they want metal moving fast. The Gotcha plug is the OBX pier standard.
- Prime
- June · September
- First bait
- Gotcha plug (red/white, 1.5-2 oz)
SPECKLED TROUT
Speckled Trout
Trout live in the sound around grass and oyster bars, and they eat a slow bait better than a fast one.
- Prime
- April · May · September · October
- First bait
- Live shrimp
FLOUNDER
Flounder
Flounder sit on the bottom and wait. Slow your bait down to their pace and you will catch them.
- Prime
- August · September
- First bait
- Live mud minnow
BLACK DRUM
Black Drum
Black drum are the shell-crushers of the drum family, and crab is the bait they cannot pass up.
- Prime
- April · May · September · October
- First bait
- Half blue crab
SHEEPSHEAD
Sheepshead
Sheepshead are the bait thieves of the pilings. Fiddler crabs and a fast hook set are how you beat them.
- Prime
- July · August · September
- First bait
- Fiddler crab
SPOT
Spot
The fall spot run is an OBX tradition. Small hooks, bloodworms, and a bottom rig will fill a cooler.
- Prime
- August · September · October
- First bait
- Bloodworm
CROAKER
Croaker
Croaker share the surf and the piers with spot. Fish a bottom rig and listen for the croak when you land one.
- Prime
- July · August
- First bait
- Bloodworm
COBIA
Cobia
Cobia are the sight-casting fish of the spring. Spot one on the surface, put a jig in front of it, and hold on.
- Prime
- May · June
- First bait
- Live eel
How a card works
Three layers, and you can check all of them. The run is written down, the table is written down, and the rule that reads the buoys is on the site.
Layer 1
The run
A month-by-month strip says when the fish are actually here, with an honest off season. No pretending a summer fish is a winter one.
Layer 2
The table
Bait to rig to sinker to rod and line, straight down the card. It is the shop-wall cheat sheet, written down where you can check it.
Layer 3
Today's call
A buoy off Avon and the bite score turn the run and the sea into one sentence: fish it today, wait for the sea to lay down, or come back in season.
The other half of the engine
The condition guides
The species cards say which fish to chase. The condition guides say how to rig for the water in front of you: sinker weight, rod length, rig, and bait, all from today's surf.
Updated Oct 30, 2026