UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano35
- King mackerel35
- Red snapper35
- Black sea bass34
- Gag grouper33
- Gray triggerfish33
- Red grouper32
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Bluefish30
- Cobia30
- Crevalle jack30
- Gray snapper30
- Little tunny30
- Red drum30
- Sheepshead30
- Southern flounder30
- Spanish mackerel30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Summer flounder30
- Weakfish30
- Greater amberjack29
Best score today · 2 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 324 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4 AM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hay Point 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
32Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 16 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
18Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.8 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
44Season: 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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday
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
Hay Point
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Hay Point
Hay Point is a cape in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth 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 Florida pompano, king mackerel and red snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red snapper, black sea bass and gag grouper. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Red snapper peak from May through August.
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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Kitty Hawk Bay35
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 35
- King mackerel 35
- Red snapper 35
16 kt NNEH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ftL 11:33 AM · 1.3 ft
- Long Point35
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 35
- King mackerel 35
- Red snapper 35
16 kt NNEH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ftL 11:33 AM · 1.3 ft
- Shellbank Point35
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 35
- King mackerel 35
- Red snapper 35
16 kt NNEH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ftL 11:33 AM · 1.3 ft
- Colington Creek35
Gut · 2.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Florida pompano 35
- King mackerel 35
16 kt NNEH 5:38 AM · 3.3 ftL 11:33 AM · 1.3 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.