UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel71
- Gray snapper64
- Gray triggerfish62
- Crevalle jack61
- Florida pompano61
- Gag grouper61
- Red snapper61
- Summer flounder61
- Atlantic croaker60
- Black sea bass60
- Red grouper60
- Spot59
- Atlantic tarpon56
- Greater amberjack56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Red drum54
- Black drum53
- Sheepshead52
- Little tunny50
- Cobia49
- Southern flounder47
- Spotted seatrout47
- Weakfish43
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 603 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-6 PMFlood 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
85Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 15 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
70Season: 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 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
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, gray snapper and gray triggerfish. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, crevalle jack and summer flounder, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, Florida pompano, gag grouper and red snapper. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Gray triggerfish peak from May through August.
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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Wallace Channel68
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Crevalle jack 66
- Spot 65
15 kt ENEH 5:26 PM · 2.1 ftL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ft
- Blair Channel68
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Crevalle jack 66
- Spot 65
15 kt ENEH 5:26 PM · 2.1 ftL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ft
- Horse Island Channel68
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Crevalle jack 66
- Spot 66
15 kt ENEH 5:26 PM · 2.1 ftL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ft
- Haulover Point62
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 62
- Crevalle jack 61
- Atlantic croaker 60
15 kt ENEH 5:26 PM · 2.1 ftL 11:52 PM · 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.