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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot70
- Red drum69
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper61
- Southern flounder61
- Spotted seatrout60
- Summer flounder59
- Black drum58
- King mackerel58
- Red snapper55
- Gray triggerfish53
- Weakfish53
- Black sea bass52
- Gag grouper51
- Florida pompano50
- Red grouper50
- Cobia48
- Sheepshead48
- Spanish mackerel48
- Greater amberjack45
- Little tunny42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 503 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-7 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Drum 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 5 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
86Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & 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 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
Drum Cove
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Drum Cove
Drum Cove is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 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 black drum, red snapper, gray triggerfish and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak 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.
- 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
- Point of Narrows76
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Middle Creek72
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Red drum 67
14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Tolers Bay72
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 65
14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Drum Point71
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 66
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 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.