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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker67
- Spot67
- Florida pompano62
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Southern flounder54
- Gray snapper53
- Red drum53
- Summer flounder53
- Spotted seatrout52
- King mackerel51
- Crevalle jack50
- Black drum48
- Spanish mackerel46
- Little tunny42
- Weakfish42
- Red snapper41
- Cobia39
- Black sea bass38
- Gray triggerfish38
- Gag grouper37
- Greater amberjack37
- Red grouper37
- Sheepshead36
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 PM · Red grouper
- Now
- 3710 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- High0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hampton Shoal 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
Tuesday, Sep 29 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC
69Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
45Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Hampton Shoal
- Depth
- 6-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Hampton Shoal
Hampton Shoal is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 6-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
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
- Creek Point67
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 59
7 kt NNEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Cooper Point67
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 59
7 kt NNEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Live Oak Point67
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 59
7 kt NNEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Rowland Point67
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 59
7 kt NNEH 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.