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Gray snapperPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker52
- Spot52
- King mackerel50
- Gray snapper49
- Summer flounder49
- Crevalle jack48
- Red drum46
- Black drum45
- Red snapper45
- Black sea bass43
- Gray triggerfish43
- Spanish mackerel43
- Gag grouper42
- Red grouper42
- Florida pompano38
- Little tunny38
- Sheepshead38
- Greater amberjack37
- Bluefish35
- Weakfish35
- Cobia32
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 6 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 499 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Pelican Shoal 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
76Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
15Wind: 21 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.5 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
69Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Gray 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Pelican Shoal
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonGray 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 Pelican Shoal
Pelican Shoal is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Hatteras Inlet61
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 58
- Crevalle jack 57
21 kt NEL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ft
- Austin Reef60
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- King mackerel 59
- Gray snapper 55
21 kt NEL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ft
- Oliver Reef60
Bar · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- King mackerel 58
- Gray snapper 55
21 kt NEL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ft
- Tar Hole Inlet57
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Crevalle jack 57
- Spot 57
21 kt NEL 11:54 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:41 AM · 1.9 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.