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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot66
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Red drum63
- King mackerel61
- Summer flounder60
- Red snapper54
- Black drum53
- Spanish mackerel52
- Weakfish52
- Black sea bass51
- Gray triggerfish51
- Gag grouper50
- Red grouper50
- Sheepshead50
- Greater amberjack49
- Little tunny49
- Cobia48
- Florida pompano47
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 12 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 5412 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-2 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horse Island 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
79Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.0 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 yesterday
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
Horse Island Cove
- Depth
- 1-3 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 Horse Island Cove
Horse Island 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 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 red snapper, black drum, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
- 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
- Great Island Creek70
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
13 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Horse Island Point67
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Atlantic croaker 61
13 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- The Swash67
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
13 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Great Island Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Atlantic croaker 61
13 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 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.