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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot70
- Crevalle jack69
- Gray snapper69
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Red drum67
- King mackerel65
- Summer flounder65
- Spotted seatrout63
- Southern flounder60
- Weakfish58
- Black drum57
- Red snapper57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Black sea bass54
- Cobia53
- Gag grouper53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Little tunny53
- Sheepshead53
- Greater amberjack52
- Red grouper52
- Florida pompano51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 1 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 521 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-3 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hillerys 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 · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Hillerys Cove
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Hillerys Cove
Hillerys Cove is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-4 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- Lone Tree Creek72
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Wysocking Bay70
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 69
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Mackey Point64
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 64
- Gray snapper 63
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Green Point64
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 64
- Gray snapper 63
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 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.