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Gray snapperPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot77
- Crevalle jack75
- Atlantic tarpon73
- Gray snapper71
- Summer flounder70
- King mackerel69
- Red drum69
- Southern flounder67
- Black drum65
- Spanish mackerel65
- Spotted seatrout65
- Sheepshead62
- Little tunny61
- Weakfish61
- Black sea bass60
- Gag grouper60
- Gray triggerfish60
- Red snapper60
- Cobia59
- Red grouper59
- Florida pompano55
- Greater amberjack54
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 718 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dowdy 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
82Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Gray 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 Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Dowdy Bay
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonGray 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 Dowdy Bay
Dowdy Bay is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, Spanish mackerel, sheepshead and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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
- Shoe Hole Bay75
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt ENEL 10:39 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ft
- Stumpy Cove75
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt ENEL 10:39 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ft
- Poplar Branch Bay74
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 73
7 kt ENEL 10:39 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ft
- Long Point69
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 68
7 kt ENEL 10:39 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:11 PM · 3.6 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.