UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Gray snapperPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot72
- Red drum71
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Florida pompano70
- Crevalle jack66
- Southern flounder66
- King mackerel65
- Summer flounder65
- Spotted seatrout64
- Gray snapper63
- Black drum62
- Spanish mackerel62
- Gray triggerfish57
- Black sea bass56
- Gag grouper56
- Little tunny56
- Red snapper56
- Red grouper55
- Sheepshead52
- Greater amberjack50
- Cobia49
- Weakfish49
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 639 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Great Shoal 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
50Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
93Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.6 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 yesterday
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
Great Shoal
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Great Shoal
Great Shoal is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
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, Spanish mackerel and gray triggerfish. 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
- Horsepen Creek79
Gut · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 72
10 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ft
- Johnson Creek77
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 72
10 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ft
- Deer Pond76
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 72
10 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ft
- Horsepen Point73
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Red drum 71
10 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:14 PM · 1.4 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.