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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- King mackerel71
- Red drum71
- Gray snapper70
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Spot69
- Summer flounder65
- Black drum64
- Florida pompano64
- Spotted seatrout63
- Red snapper62
- Crevalle jack61
- Southern flounder61
- Gray triggerfish59
- Black sea bass58
- Red grouper58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Weakfish58
- Gag grouper57
- Greater amberjack55
- Cobia54
- Sheepshead54
- Little tunny51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 584 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Clark 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
73Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
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 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
Clark Reef
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · 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 Clark Reef
Clark Reef is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, king mackerel, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Little Swash Opening73
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 72
8 kt NEH 5:21 AM · 0.9 ftL 11:43 AM · 0.5 ft
- Quokes Point72
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Red drum 70
- Atlantic croaker 68
8 kt NEH 5:21 AM · 0.9 ftL 11:43 AM · 0.5 ft
- Terrapin Shoal72
Bar · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 70
4 kt SEH 4:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 10:57 AM · 0.6 ft
- Legged Lump71
Bar · 3.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 68
4 kt SEH 4:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 10:57 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.