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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot74
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Crevalle jack70
- Summer flounder69
- Gray snapper68
- Red drum67
- King mackerel66
- Black drum62
- Black sea bass61
- Southern flounder61
- Spotted seatrout61
- Florida pompano60
- Sheepshead58
- Weakfish58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red snapper56
- Spanish mackerel56
- Gag grouper55
- Red grouper55
- Greater amberjack51
- Cobia50
- Little tunny50
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 554 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cow 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
44Season: 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
Cow Channel
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Cow Channel
Cow Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
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
- 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
- Bank Channel78
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 72
8 kt ENEH 5:30 PM · 2.5 ftL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ft
- Sanders Creek78
Gut · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 73
8 kt ENEH 5:30 PM · 2.5 ftL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ft
- Bear Inlet75
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Crevalle jack 75
- Spot 74
9 kt EH 5:30 PM · 2.5 ftL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ft
- Bogue Inlet74
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Crevalle jack 74
- Spot 73
8 kt ENEH 5:30 PM · 2.5 ftL 11:56 PM · 0.6 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.