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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel35
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Crevalle jack30
- Gray snapper30
- Red drum30
- Southern flounder30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Summer flounder30
- Weakfish30
- Cobia25
- Florida pompano25
- Little tunny25
- Red snapper25
- Black sea bass23
- Gag grouper22
- Gray triggerfish22
- Bluefish21
- Red grouper21
- Sheepshead21
- Spanish mackerel21
- Greater amberjack17
Best score today · 12 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 253 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3 AM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Low0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Roanoke Sound 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
25Tide: Low slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
32Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
38Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Roanoke Sound
- Depth
- 2-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Roanoke Sound
Roanoke Sound is a bay in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, weakfish, cobia and Florida pompano. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Oyster Creek35
Gut · 3.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 35
- Gray snapper 35
- King mackerel 35
18 kt NEH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:47 PM · 0.4 ft
- Broad Creek Point34
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 34
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
18 kt NEH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:47 PM · 0.4 ft
- Roanoke Sound Channel32
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 32
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
18 kt NEH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:47 PM · 0.4 ft
- Rockhall Creek30
Gut · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
27 kt NEH 5:34 AM · 3.4 ftL 11:32 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.