Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Red snapperShoulder season

Bar · North Carolina

Gull Rocks

35.38°N · 76.01°W · Bar · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Red snapper

81/100Great
Now
706 PM EDT
Best window
6-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.7 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Gull Rocks scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score70Great
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind5 kn ESEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 5 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy62% cloud
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in North Carolina

Spot profile

Gull Rocks

Depth
3-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Gull Rocks

Gull Rocks is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, Florida pompano, gag grouper and red snapper. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Hillerys Cove

    Bay · 2.8 mi

    80
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 80
    • Spot 79
    • Atlantic tarpon 79

    5 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Gull Shoal

    Bar · 2.0 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Atlantic tarpon 75
    • Spot 74

    7 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Hog Island Shoal

    Bar · 2.1 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Atlantic tarpon 75
    • Spot 74

    7 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Bensons Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Atlantic tarpon 75
    • Spot 74

    5 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 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.