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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker64
- Spot64
- Crevalle jack62
- Gray snapper61
- King mackerel59
- Summer flounder57
- Red drum56
- Red snapper54
- Black drum52
- Black sea bass52
- Gag grouper51
- Gray triggerfish51
- Red grouper50
- Sheepshead50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Weakfish48
- Greater amberjack46
- Little tunny46
- Cobia44
- Florida pompano44
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 549 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.8 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 7 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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 red snapper, black drum, black sea bass and gag grouper. 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 Hammock67
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 64
- Crevalle jack 62
14 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Little Narrows67
Gut · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Crevalle jack 65
- Spot 64
14 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Dowdy Bay65
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
- Crevalle jack 64
14 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Long Point59
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- King mackerel 59
- Spot 59
14 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 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.