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Red grouperOff seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot68
- Red drum66
- Black sea bass63
- Florida pompano63
- Spotted seatrout62
- Weakfish61
- Little tunny58
- Black drum57
- Southern flounder57
- Summer flounder56
- Gag grouper54
- Sheepshead54
- Striped bass54
- Bluefish53
- Red snapper47
- King mackerel41
- Crevalle jack40
- Greater amberjack39
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel33
- Cobia24
Best score today · 4 PM · Red grouper
- Now
- 352 PM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sanders Creek 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
Saturday, Nov 7 · 3 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 3 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 69°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.9 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
24Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: 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
Out of season for Red grouper · shoulder season starts in 26 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sanders Creek
- Depth
- Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Sanders Creek
Sanders Creek is a gut in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is up to 3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for red drum, black sea bass, Florida pompano and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and summer flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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
- Browns Inlet72
Channel · 3.5 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 66
10 kt EL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:19 AM · 3.0 ft
- Browns Sound71
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 71
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
10 kt EL 8:13 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:19 AM · 3.0 ft
- Cow Channel69
Channel · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 67
- Black sea bass 63
7 kt EL 8:11 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:16 AM · 2.2 ft
- Bear Inlet68
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 68
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Little tunny 65
10 kt EL 8:11 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:16 AM · 2.2 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.