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Gray snapperPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot73
- Red drum66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Crevalle jack61
- Southern flounder60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Florida pompano58
- Gray snapper56
- Summer flounder56
- Black drum55
- King mackerel55
- Weakfish49
- Red snapper48
- Spanish mackerel47
- Black sea bass46
- Cobia46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Gag grouper45
- Red grouper44
- Greater amberjack42
- Little tunny42
- Sheepshead42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 569 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ditch Cove 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
43Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
69Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Ditch Cove
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Ditch Cove
Ditch Cove is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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 Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
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
- Jarrett Bay74
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 73
- Red drum 66
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Spit Bay74
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 73
- Red drum 66
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Procks Point69
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 68
- Red drum 66
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Howland Point68
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
- Red drum 66
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 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.