Waterlands

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Red grouperShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Thorofare Point

35.32°N · 76.55°W · Cape · Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

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Best score today · 12 AM · Red grouper

64/100Good
Now
475 AM EDT
Best window
5-7 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score47Good
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward S
Wind15 kn NNEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 3 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherOvercast96% chance of rain
Water82°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Red grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in North Carolina

Spot profile

Thorofare Point

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Thorofare Point

Thorofare Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

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

  • Cedar Island Thorofare

    Channel · 0.3 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 65
    • Gray snapper 63

    15 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Deer Watering Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spot 62

    15 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Dick Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Spot 59
    • Crevalle jack 57

    15 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Beard Island Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Spot 59
    • Crevalle jack 57

    15 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.