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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel73
- Gray snapper67
- Red drum67
- Atlantic croaker64
- Crevalle jack63
- Summer flounder63
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Florida pompano61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Greater amberjack58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Gray triggerfish57
- Red snapper57
- Black sea bass56
- Red grouper56
- Spot56
- Black drum55
- Gag grouper55
- Little tunny55
- Southern flounder53
- Cobia51
- Weakfish51
- Sheepshead49
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 6 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 5610 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-5 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Austin Reef 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
43Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
78Wind: 13 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Austin Reef
- Depth
- 4-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · slope
- 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 Austin Reef
Austin Reef is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, greater amberjack and gray triggerfish. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. 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.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oliver Reef73
Bar · 1.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 73
- Gray snapper 67
- Red drum 67
13 kt ENEL 10:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:25 PM · 2.2 ft
- Hatteras Inlet73
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 73
- Atlantic tarpon 71
- King mackerel 70
13 kt ENEL 10:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:25 PM · 2.2 ft
- Shark Shoal73
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 73
- King mackerel 73
- Summer flounder 72
13 kt ENEL 12:55 PM · 0.5 ftH 6:41 PM · 0.8 ft
- Pelican Shoal64
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- King mackerel 64
- Summer flounder 63
13 kt ENEL 10:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:25 PM · 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.