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Gray snapperPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker79
- Spot76
- Atlantic tarpon74
- Crevalle jack74
- Gray snapper72
- Summer flounder72
- King mackerel69
- Red drum68
- Black drum66
- Black sea bass66
- Spotted seatrout63
- Florida pompano62
- Sheepshead62
- Southern flounder62
- Gray triggerfish61
- Weakfish61
- Gag grouper60
- Red snapper60
- Red grouper59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Greater amberjack55
- Little tunny54
- Cobia52
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 722 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Beaufort Channel 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
80Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
84Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 today
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
Beaufort Channel
- Depth
- 3-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Beaufort Channel
Beaufort Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 3-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, Florida pompano and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Morehead City Channel79
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 74
9 kt ENEH 5:34 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:59 PM · 0.9 ft
- Carrot Island Channel76
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 72
9 kt ENEH 6:09 PM · 3.2 ftL 12:29 AM · 0.9 ft
- Beaufort Inlet76
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 76
- King mackerel 73
9 kt ENEH 5:24 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:52 PM · 1.3 ft
- Bird Shoal70
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
9 kt ENEH 5:24 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:52 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.