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Gray snapperPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker61
- Spot61
- King mackerel60
- Florida pompano57
- Crevalle jack56
- Gray snapper54
- Red drum53
- Summer flounder52
- Spanish mackerel45
- Black drum42
- Red snapper42
- Weakfish42
- Black sea bass40
- Cobia40
- Gray triggerfish40
- Gag grouper39
- Little tunny39
- Greater amberjack38
- Red grouper38
- Sheepshead38
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 549 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Core Sound 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
60Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
36Wind: 17 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.1 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
82Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Gray 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 Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Core Sound
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonGray 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 Core Sound
Core Sound is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Cross Shoal Channel65
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 62
- Red drum 57
17 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Gutter Creek65
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 62
- Crevalle jack 54
17 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Styron Bay62
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- Florida pompano 56
17 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Mill Point62
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Red drum 61
12 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 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.