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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot73
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Gray snapper72
- Crevalle jack71
- Red drum71
- King mackerel67
- Summer flounder67
- Florida pompano65
- Spotted seatrout65
- Southern flounder63
- Black drum59
- Red snapper59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Weakfish59
- Cobia56
- Black sea bass55
- Gray triggerfish55
- Little tunny55
- Sheepshead55
- Gag grouper54
- Greater amberjack54
- Red grouper54
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 5910 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 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 · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
92Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 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 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 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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 Creek75
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 73
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Wysocking Bay73
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 73
- Gray snapper 72
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Mackey Point67
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Gray snapper 65
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Green Point67
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Gray snapper 65
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.