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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker52
- Spot52
- Crevalle jack49
- Gray snapper49
- Red drum49
- King mackerel46
- Summer flounder44
- Black drum43
- Florida pompano42
- Red snapper42
- Black sea bass39
- Gray triggerfish39
- Spanish mackerel39
- Gag grouper38
- Red grouper38
- Sheepshead37
- Weakfish37
- Little tunny36
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Greater amberjack33
- Cobia32
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 4211 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMMoving water
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Poplar Branch 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
85Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 3 kt WSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
86Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Poplar Branch Bay
- Depth
- 1-5 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 Poplar Branch Bay
Poplar Branch 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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- The Hammock56
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Red drum 53
- Spot 53
14 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Little Narrows56
Gut · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Red drum 53
- Spot 53
14 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Dowdy Bay52
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 52
- Spot 52
- Crevalle jack 49
14 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Long Point47
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 47
- Spot 47
- King mackerel 46
14 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 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.