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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker60
- Spot60
- King mackerel57
- Crevalle jack55
- Florida pompano55
- Gray snapper55
- Red drum54
- Summer flounder50
- Spanish mackerel44
- Black drum43
- Red snapper43
- Little tunny41
- Weakfish41
- Black sea bass40
- Gray triggerfish40
- Gag grouper39
- Greater amberjack39
- Red grouper39
- Sheepshead38
- Cobia37
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 4311 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 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 · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
39Wind: 19 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
71Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.2 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
Core Sound
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 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
- 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
- Cross Shoal Channel64
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 61
- Red drum 59
19 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Gutter Creek64
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 61
- Red drum 56
19 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Mill Point63
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Styron Bay60
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Spot 60
- Crevalle jack 53
19 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.