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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack58
- King mackerel55
- Black sea bass51
- Florida pompano49
- Red snapper47
- Gag grouper45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red grouper44
- Greater amberjack42
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Black drum35
- Bluefish35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Little tunny35
- Red drum35
- Sheepshead35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Spot35
- Summer flounder35
- Weakfish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 4 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 479 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Smith Creek 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
90Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
44Wind: 16 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.3 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 today
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
Smith Creek
- Depth
- 1-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Smith Creek
Smith Creek is a gut in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and black sea bass. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Florida pompano, red snapper and gag grouper. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Black sea bass 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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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
- Oyster Creek58
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 58
- King mackerel 54
- Florida pompano 49
16 kt NEL 1:46 AM · 0.1 ftH 7:54 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cedar Bush Bay54
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 54
- Crevalle jack 51
- King mackerel 48
16 kt NEL 2:47 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Cut Through51
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 51
- Florida pompano 49
- King mackerel 48
16 kt NEL 2:47 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Oyster Creek51
Gut · 3.0 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 51
- Florida pompano 50
- King mackerel 48
16 kt NEL 2:47 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:40 AM · 0.6 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.