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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker81
- Spot77
- Crevalle jack75
- Atlantic tarpon74
- Florida pompano72
- King mackerel71
- Red drum69
- Summer flounder69
- Gray snapper68
- Spanish mackerel66
- Southern flounder65
- Black drum62
- Spotted seatrout62
- Little tunny61
- Black sea bass60
- Cobia57
- Weakfish57
- Sheepshead56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Gag grouper54
- Red snapper54
- Red grouper53
- Greater amberjack51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 5310 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Old Drum Inlet 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
63Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.9 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 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
Old Drum Inlet
- Depth
- Up to 5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · 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 Old Drum Inlet
Old Drum Inlet is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is up to 5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and 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 Atlantic tarpon, 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. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- Drum Inlet (historical)81
Channel · 0.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 73
11 kt NEL 3:37 PM · 0.1 ftH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ft
- Point of Grass Creek77
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 71
11 kt NEL 3:37 PM · 0.1 ftH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ft
- Point of Beach72
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 66
11 kt NEL 3:37 PM · 0.1 ftH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ft
- Point of Grass72
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 66
11 kt NEL 3:37 PM · 0.1 ftH 9:38 PM · 0.7 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.