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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot71
- Florida pompano58
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Red drum56
- Crevalle jack54
- Gray snapper54
- Summer flounder49
- Southern flounder48
- Black drum47
- King mackerel47
- Spotted seatrout47
- Weakfish43
- Red snapper42
- Spanish mackerel42
- Black sea bass40
- Gray triggerfish40
- Sheepshead40
- Cobia38
- Gag grouper38
- Red grouper38
- Little tunny36
- Bluefish34
- Greater amberjack33
Best score today · 5 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 3811 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- High0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rockhole 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
Thursday, Sep 24 · 12 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
34Tide: High slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
32Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 19 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.3 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
44Season: 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
Rockhole Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Rockhole Bay
Rockhole Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, 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 red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and red snapper. 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
- Dump Creek73
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 58
13 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Sound Bay73
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Florida pompano 58
13 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Little Drum Creek73
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 58
13 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bay Point68
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 66
- Florida pompano 53
13 kt NEH 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.