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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot77
- Crevalle jack75
- Atlantic tarpon73
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum71
- King mackerel69
- Summer flounder69
- Southern flounder68
- Spotted seatrout65
- Black drum64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Gray triggerfish61
- Red snapper60
- Sheepshead60
- Weakfish60
- Black sea bass59
- Cobia59
- Gag grouper59
- Red grouper59
- Little tunny58
- Greater amberjack55
- Florida pompano54
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 598 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Onslow 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
91Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 7 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: 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 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
Onslow Bay
- Depth
- 10-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · 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 Onslow Bay
Onslow Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 10-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
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 black drum, Spanish mackerel, gray triggerfish and red snapper. 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
- Browns Inlet81
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Crevalle jack 78
- Spot 77
7 kt NNEL 11:01 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ft
- Banks Channel81
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 76
7 kt NNEL 11:01 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ft
- Sanders Creek80
Gut · 4.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 76
5 kt NNEL 10:59 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:30 PM · 2.5 ft
- Browns Sound78
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 75
7 kt NNEL 11:01 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:33 PM · 3.3 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.