UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot74
- Red drum70
- Crevalle jack64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Gray snapper62
- Spotted seatrout61
- Florida pompano60
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel59
- Southern flounder58
- Black drum57
- Black sea bass54
- Sheepshead51
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red snapper50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Gag grouper49
- Red grouper49
- Weakfish49
- Greater amberjack44
- Little tunny44
- Cobia42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 508 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Channel 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 · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
50Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
90Wind: 11 kt SSEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
87Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Cape Channel
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Cape Channel
Cape Channel is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. 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.
- 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
- Buxton Harbor Channel75
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 74
- Crevalle jack 71
11 kt SSEL 10:16 PM · 1.1 ftH 3:56 AM · 2.4 ft
- Brooks Creek73
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Crevalle jack 71
11 kt SSEL 10:15 PM · 1.1 ftH 3:55 AM · 2.4 ft
- Devil Shoals69
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 68
- Florida pompano 67
11 kt SSEL 2:28 AM · 0.2 ftH 7:02 AM · 0.3 ft
- Brooks Point66
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Crevalle jack 66
- King mackerel 66
11 kt SSEL 10:15 PM · 1.1 ftH 3:55 AM · 2.4 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.