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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot71
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Gray snapper68
- Crevalle jack67
- Red drum67
- Southern flounder64
- Spotted seatrout62
- Summer flounder61
- King mackerel59
- Black drum58
- Weakfish56
- Florida pompano55
- Red snapper55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Black sea bass53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Sheepshead53
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper51
- Cobia50
- Little tunny49
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 553 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-7 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Abel 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
Saturday, Sep 26 · 1 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 7 kt NNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
87Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Red snapper 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 snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Abel Bay
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed snapper
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 Abel Bay
Abel Bay is a bay in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-6 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, weakfish, Florida pompano and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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
- Berry Creek73
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 71
- Spot 71
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Bell Bay73
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Marsh Rock Creek73
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 69
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Persimmon Point68
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 65
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 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.