Waterlands

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Red snapperShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Sound Point

35.96°N · 75.95°W · Cape · Albemarle Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Red snapper

72/100Great
Now
614 PM EDT
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score61Good
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind9 kn ENEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherOvercast93% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red snapper is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in North Carolina

Spot profile

Sound Point

Depth
1-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonRed snapper

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 Sound Point

Sound Point is a cape in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, little tunny, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

Tackle & technique

Red snapper
Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Middle Ground

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    75
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 75
    • Atlantic tarpon 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73

    9 kt ENEH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Tom Mann Creek

    Bay · 3.3 mi

    74
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 74
    • Crevalle jack 74
    • Spot 74

    9 kt ENEH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Boranges Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 72
    • Crevalle jack 70

    9 kt ENEH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Ned Bees Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    70
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Crevalle jack 69

    9 kt ENEH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftL 3:21 AM · 0.4 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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.