UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel80
- Atlantic croaker79
- Atlantic tarpon78
- Gray snapper77
- Red drum77
- Southern flounder74
- Crevalle jack72
- Summer flounder72
- Spot71
- Spotted seatrout71
- Black drum69
- Gray triggerfish68
- Red snapper68
- Spanish mackerel67
- Black sea bass66
- Gag grouper66
- Red grouper66
- Greater amberjack64
- Little tunny63
- Cobia62
- Sheepshead62
- Weakfish62
- Florida pompano61
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 PM · Red grouper
- Now
- 668 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Howard Reef 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
82Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt NNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: 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
Howard Reef
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · 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 Howard Reef
Howard Reef is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, gray triggerfish, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Teaches Hole Channel81
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 81
- Atlantic croaker 80
- Crevalle jack 77
5 kt SL 10:46 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:52 PM · 1.1 ft
- Northern Pond77
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Crevalle jack 77
- Spot 77
5 kt SL 10:46 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:52 PM · 1.1 ft
- Gap Point73
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Crevalle jack 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
5 kt SL 10:46 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:52 PM · 1.1 ft
- Horsepen Point73
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Crevalle jack 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
5 kt SL 10:46 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:52 PM · 1.1 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.