UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout66
- Weakfish66
- Red drum65
- Florida pompano63
- Southern flounder63
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot62
- Bluefish58
- Little tunny57
- Summer flounder55
- Black drum53
- Black sea bass53
- Striped bass50
- King mackerel49
- Crevalle jack48
- Gag grouper48
- Sheepshead48
- Red snapper45
- Greater amberjack41
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 5 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 458 PM EST
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sparrow 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
Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 5 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
95Light: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 25 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sparrow Bay
- Depth
- 2-8 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 Sparrow Bay
Sparrow Bay is a bay in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, weakfish and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, weakfish, red drum and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Red drum peak from August through November.
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.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
- Weakfish
- Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Core Point Shoal65
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 65
- Spotted seatrout 61
- Weakfish 61
6 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft
- Sullivan Point61
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spotted seatrout 61
- Weakfish 61
6 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft
- Tripp Point56
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 56
- Spotted seatrout 55
- Red drum 54
6 kt NE
- Maules Point56
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 56
- Spotted seatrout 55
- Red drum 54
6 kt NE
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.