Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Red grouperOff season

Bay · North Carolina

Tom Mann Creek

35.97°N · 75.89°W · Bay · Albemarle Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Red grouper

79/100Great
Now
355 PM EST
Best window
5-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High0.5 ft

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

Notify me when Tom Mann Creek scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 4 AM

Time4A
Score35Fair
Tide0.1 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind3 kn NNEgusts 5 · steady
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy34% cloud
Water64°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red grouper 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 grouper is best here

Out of season for Red grouper · shoulder season starts in 26 weeks

Red grouper season by week of the year. Out of season for Red grouper · shoulder season starts in 26 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Tom Mann Creek

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Off 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 Tom Mann Creek

Tom Mann Creek is a bay in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, southern flounder and weakfish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, summer flounder and black drum. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
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.
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

  • The Frying Pan

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    73
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 73
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spotted seatrout 71

    6 kt ENEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Haulover Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    71
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Red drum 68
    • Spot 68

    6 kt ENEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Ned Bees Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    68
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Little tunny 66

    5 kt NEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Sound Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    68
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Little tunny 66

    5 kt NEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 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.