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Gray snapperPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot72
- Summer flounder70
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Crevalle jack68
- King mackerel68
- Black drum67
- Gray snapper66
- Red drum65
- Southern flounder65
- Spanish mackerel64
- Spotted seatrout64
- Black sea bass61
- Gag grouper60
- Gray triggerfish60
- Little tunny60
- Red snapper60
- Red grouper59
- Florida pompano58
- Sheepshead58
- Cobia56
- Greater amberjack55
- Weakfish55
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 6610 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy Point Shoal 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
73Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
69Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Gray snapper is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sandy Point Shoal
- Depth
- 5-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonGray 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 Sandy Point Shoal
Sandy Point Shoal is a bar in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 5-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and summer flounder. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gag grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Summer flounder peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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
- Middle Ground74
Bar · 2.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Southern flounder 73
- Atlantic tarpon 73
8 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Long Shoal Point74
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 73
- Atlantic tarpon 73
8 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Bay Point72
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
- Crevalle jack 68
8 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Rock Point71
Cape · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 68
8 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 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.