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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot60
- Crevalle jack56
- Florida pompano55
- Red drum55
- King mackerel54
- Gray snapper53
- Summer flounder50
- Spanish mackerel46
- Black drum45
- Black sea bass44
- Red snapper42
- Weakfish42
- Little tunny41
- Cobia39
- Gray triggerfish39
- Gag grouper38
- Red grouper38
- Sheepshead38
- Greater amberjack36
- Bluefish35
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 3811 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cedar Inlet 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
Thursday, Sep 24 · 12 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
77Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.1 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
15Wind over the limit · capped at 30Wind: 32 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
20Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 6.2 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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 today
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
Cedar Inlet
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · 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 Cedar Inlet
Cedar Inlet is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, 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 red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. 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
- Old Channel62
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 60
- Red drum 55
20 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Gutter Creek62
Gut · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 60
- Crevalle jack 53
20 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Yaupon Hammock Gut59
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Crevalle jack 59
- Gray snapper 59
20 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Old Channel Point54
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 54
- Spot 53
- Florida pompano 49
20 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 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.