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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot65
- Florida pompano60
- Red drum56
- King mackerel55
- Atlantic tarpon54
- Crevalle jack54
- Summer flounder53
- Gray snapper50
- Southern flounder49
- Spotted seatrout48
- Black drum46
- Little tunny46
- Black sea bass45
- Gag grouper45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red snapper45
- Red grouper44
- Spanish mackerel43
- Greater amberjack40
- Sheepshead39
- Cobia36
- Weakfish36
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 448 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horsepen Point 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 · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
39Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: 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 today
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
Horsepen Point
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Horsepen Point
Horsepen Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, little tunny and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
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
- Zack Creek72
Gut · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 60
12 kt NEL 2:15 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:25 AM · 1.6 ft
- Horsepen Creek70
Gut · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 67
- Florida pompano 58
12 kt NEH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ftL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ft
- Great Shoal67
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 65
12 kt NEH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ftL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ft
- Deer Pond67
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 66
- Florida pompano 58
12 kt NEH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ftL 3:02 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.