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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel54
- Red snapper49
- Black sea bass45
- Florida pompano45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Gag grouper44
- Red grouper44
- Crevalle jack42
- Greater amberjack39
- Atlantic croaker35
- Black drum35
- Gray snapper35
- Red drum35
- Sheepshead35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Spot35
- Summer flounder35
- Bluefish34
- Little tunny34
- Cobia33
- Weakfish32
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 2 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 444 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-7 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Oyster Rocks 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
Friday, Sep 25 · 11 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
15Wind: 22 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of range
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
Oyster Rocks
- Depth
- 4-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
- 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 Oyster Rocks
Oyster Rocks is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, red snapper and black sea bass. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, Florida pompano and gray triggerfish. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Red snapper peak from May through August. Black sea bass 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Wallace Channel47
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 47
- King mackerel 45
- Black sea bass 42
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Blair Channel47
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 47
- King mackerel 44
- Black sea bass 41
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Horse Island Channel47
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 47
- King mackerel 45
- Black sea bass 42
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Haulover Point45
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 45
- Crevalle jack 42
- Red snapper 39
22 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 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.