UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot78
- Red drum77
- Spotted seatrout77
- Atlantic tarpon74
- Crevalle jack74
- Gray snapper73
- Southern flounder71
- Summer flounder71
- King mackerel69
- Black drum67
- Florida pompano64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Sheepshead63
- Cobia62
- Weakfish62
- Gag grouper60
- Gray triggerfish60
- Little tunny60
- Red snapper60
- Black sea bass59
- Red grouper59
- Greater amberjack54
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 609 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bellows Bay 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 5 kt WSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 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 · 32 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bellows Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 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 Bellows Bay
Bellows Bay is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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
- Buck Island Bay81
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 81
- Spotted seatrout 81
- Atlantic croaker 78
5 kt WSWH 1:24 PM · 3.6 ftL 8:10 PM · 1.3 ft
- Little Bellows Bay78
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 78
- Red drum 77
5 kt WSWH 1:24 PM · 3.6 ftL 8:10 PM · 1.3 ft
- Sandy Cove78
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 78
- Red drum 77
5 kt WSWH 1:24 PM · 3.6 ftL 8:10 PM · 1.3 ft
- Halfway Point73
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 73
- Spot 73
5 kt WSWH 1:24 PM · 3.6 ftL 8:10 PM · 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.