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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel70
- Atlantic croaker63
- Florida pompano62
- Gray snapper61
- Crevalle jack58
- Red drum58
- Summer flounder58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red snapper56
- Black sea bass55
- Spot55
- Gag grouper54
- Red grouper54
- Atlantic tarpon53
- Greater amberjack53
- Spanish mackerel53
- Black drum50
- Little tunny46
- Sheepshead46
- Cobia45
- Weakfish45
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 4 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 564 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-5 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.0 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
81Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
49Wind: 17 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.2 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
69Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 · 31 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 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 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, Atlantic croaker and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, gray triggerfish, red snapper and black sea bass. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oliver Reef69
Bar · 1.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 69
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Florida pompano 62
17 kt ENEH 5:25 PM · 2.2 ftL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ft
- Hatteras Inlet67
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 67
- King mackerel 67
- Atlantic croaker 65
17 kt ENEH 5:25 PM · 2.2 ftL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ft
- Shark Shoal65
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 65
- Florida pompano 64
- Crevalle jack 63
17 kt ENEH 6:41 PM · 0.8 ftL 1:14 AM · 0.6 ft
- Pelican Shoal63
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 63
- King mackerel 61
- Crevalle jack 58
17 kt ENEH 5:25 PM · 2.2 ftL 11:54 PM · 0.6 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.