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Red snapperShoulder seasonChannel · North Carolina
Bald Head Channel Range
33.86°N · 78.02°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot66
- Florida pompano62
- King mackerel56
- Atlantic tarpon55
- Crevalle jack54
- Gray snapper54
- Red drum54
- Summer flounder53
- Black drum49
- Black sea bass48
- Mahi-mahi46
- Red snapper46
- Spanish mackerel45
- Weakfish45
- Gray triggerfish44
- Red grouper42
- Gag grouper41
- Sheepshead40
- Greater amberjack38
- Wahoo38
- Cobia37
- Little tunny36
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 8 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 465 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bald Head Channel Range 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
49Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 11 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bald Head Channel Range
- Depth
- 15-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · slope
- 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 Bald Head Channel Range
Bald Head Channel Range is a channel in Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 NM, North Carolina. Depth is 15-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and 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, king mackerel and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and mahi-mahi. 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 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.
- 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
- Cape Fear Slue70
Gut · 4.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 66
- Florida pompano 61
11 kt NH 5:37 AM · 4.2 ftL 11:40 AM · 0.7 ft
- Western Bar Channel69
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 66
- Spot 64
11 kt NH 5:36 AM · 4.6 ftL 11:13 AM · 0.8 ft
- Bald Head68
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 66
- Florida pompano 62
11 kt NH 5:32 AM · 4.7 ftL 11:15 AM · 0.8 ft
- Frying Pan Shoals66
Bar · 6.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 65
- Florida pompano 60
11 kt NH 5:37 AM · 4.2 ftL 11:40 AM · 0.7 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.