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Red grouperShoulder 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 · Red grouper
- Now
- 429 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
98Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
22Wind: 21 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.5 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
45Season: 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 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
Pelican Shoal
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · 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 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
- 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
- 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.