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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot69
- Florida pompano57
- Atlantic tarpon55
- Red drum54
- Crevalle jack52
- Gray snapper52
- Southern flounder47
- Summer flounder47
- Spotted seatrout46
- Black drum45
- King mackerel45
- Spanish mackerel41
- Weakfish41
- Red snapper40
- Black sea bass38
- Gray triggerfish38
- Sheepshead38
- Cobia36
- Gag grouper36
- Red grouper36
- Little tunny35
- Bluefish33
- Greater amberjack32
Best score today · 12 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 3612 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-5 AMEbb tide
- 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 7 kt WPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 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 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
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, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. 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 Creek72
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 69
- Red drum 56
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Sound Bay72
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 69
- Florida pompano 57
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Little Drum Creek72
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 69
- Red drum 56
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bay Point66
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 64
- Florida pompano 52
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 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.