UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Spot67
- Crevalle jack65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- King mackerel62
- Red drum62
- Gray snapper61
- Summer flounder61
- Florida pompano58
- Southern flounder57
- Black drum56
- Spanish mackerel56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Cobia52
- Weakfish52
- Black sea bass51
- Gag grouper51
- Gray triggerfish51
- Red snapper51
- Sheepshead51
- Red grouper50
- Little tunny48
- Greater amberjack45
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 2 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 504 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bonner 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
66Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 12 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
45Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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 today
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
Bonner Bay
- Depth
- 5-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Bonner Bay
Bonner Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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 cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- Sheephead Creek67
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Crevalle jack 65
- Spot 65
12 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bryan Point66
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Atlantic croaker 62
12 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Davis Island Point62
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Crevalle jack 60
- Spot 60
12 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bryan Shoal62
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Crevalle jack 60
- Florida pompano 60
12 kt ENEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 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.