UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot66
- Crevalle jack65
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Summer flounder62
- Gray snapper61
- King mackerel60
- Red drum60
- Florida pompano58
- Black drum56
- Southern flounder56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Spotted seatrout55
- Sheepshead53
- Cobia52
- Black sea bass51
- Weakfish51
- Gag grouper50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Little tunny50
- Red snapper50
- Red grouper49
- Greater amberjack46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 5012 PM EDT
- Best window
- 1-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
60Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 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
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 Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead. 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
- Dowdy Bay69
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 66
9 kt ENEH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- The Hammock69
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 66
- Crevalle jack 65
9 kt ENEH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- Little Narrows69
Gut · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Crevalle jack 67
- Spot 67
9 kt ENEH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- Long Point61
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- King mackerel 60
9 kt ENEH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 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.