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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot73
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Florida pompano67
- King mackerel66
- Crevalle jack64
- Gray snapper63
- Summer flounder63
- Red drum62
- Southern flounder60
- Spotted seatrout59
- Spanish mackerel57
- Black drum56
- Weakfish56
- Cobia52
- Black sea bass51
- Little tunny50
- Red snapper50
- Gray triggerfish47
- Greater amberjack47
- Sheepshead46
- Gag grouper45
- Red grouper45
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 455 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Beaufort Inlet 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
50Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Red grouper 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 Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Beaufort Inlet
- Depth
- 9-60 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed grouper
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 Inlet
Beaufort Inlet is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 9-60 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and 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 king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Red grouper
- Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.
- 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
- Beaufort Channel76
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 66
10 kt NNEH 5:40 AM · 3.1 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Beaufort Inlet Channel76
Gut · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 62
10 kt NNEH 5:40 AM · 3.1 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Carrot Island Channel74
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 68
10 kt NNEH 6:25 AM · 2.7 ftL 12:21 PM · 0.6 ft
- Bird Shoal67
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Florida pompano 66
10 kt NNEH 5:40 AM · 3.1 ftL 11:44 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.