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Red grouperShoulder seasonChannel · Georgia
Hell Gate
31.86°N · 81.08°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Savannah GA to Altamaha Sound GA out 20 nm, including Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot73
- Florida pompano68
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Crevalle jack63
- Gray snapper60
- King mackerel59
- Red drum59
- Summer flounder59
- Spanish mackerel54
- Black sea bass52
- Black drum51
- Mahi-mahi50
- Southern flounder50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Weakfish49
- Little tunny47
- Sheepshead47
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red snapper46
- Gag grouper45
- Red grouper45
- Wahoo44
- Cobia43
- Greater amberjack41
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
Best score today · 2 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 457 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High7.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hell Gate 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
31Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
45Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Red grouper is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with GADNR CRD before you keep a fish.
Source: GADNR CRD · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hell Gate
- Depth
- 4-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed grouper
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 Hell Gate
Hell Gate is a channel in Coastal waters from Savannah GA to Altamaha Sound GA out 20 nm, including Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Georgia. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Red grouper
- Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- Hammonds Pass78
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Florida pompano 68
9 kt NNEL 1:04 AM · 1.2 ftH 6:53 AM · 7.5 ft
- Steamboat Cut77
Channel · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 68
9 kt NNEL 1:07 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:18 AM · 7.4 ft
- Ossabaw Sound73
Bay · 2.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Florida pompano 68
9 kt NNEL 1:07 AM · 1.1 ftH 6:53 AM · 7.4 ft
- Bradley Point72
Cape · 3.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 69
- Florida pompano 68
9 kt NNEL 1:07 AM · 1.1 ftH 6:53 AM · 7.4 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 GADNR CRD before you keep a fish.