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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot72
- Florida pompano69
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Southern flounder61
- Crevalle jack59
- Red drum59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Black drum58
- Summer flounder58
- Gray snapper57
- King mackerel57
- Spotted seatrout55
- Little tunny51
- Gray triggerfish49
- Black sea bass48
- Gag grouper48
- Red snapper48
- Red grouper47
- Sheepshead45
- Weakfish44
- Cobia43
- Greater amberjack43
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 488 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Ground 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 + Open-Meteo Marine
38Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 3 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
86Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
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 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
Middle Ground
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Middle Ground
Middle Ground is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
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, Atlantic tarpon and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and little tunny. 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 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
- Lower Middle75
Bar · 4.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Florida pompano 69
3 kt NWL 1:24 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:50 PM · 0.3 ft
- Inner Middle74
Bar · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 69
3 kt NWL 1:24 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:50 PM · 0.3 ft
- Upper Middle74
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 69
3 kt NWL 1:24 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:50 PM · 0.3 ft
- Outer Point74
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 64
3 kt NWL 1:24 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:50 PM · 0.3 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.