UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot76
- Crevalle jack75
- Atlantic tarpon74
- Gray snapper72
- King mackerel71
- Summer flounder70
- Red drum69
- Florida pompano67
- Southern flounder65
- Spanish mackerel65
- Black drum63
- Spotted seatrout63
- Black sea bass62
- Gray triggerfish62
- Red snapper62
- Sheepshead62
- Gag grouper61
- Little tunny60
- Red grouper60
- Cobia59
- Weakfish59
- Greater amberjack56
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 607 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Southwest Bay 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 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 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
Southwest Bay
- Depth
- 1-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Southwest Bay
Southwest Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-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 black sea bass. 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
- East Bluff Bay77
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 75
8 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- West Bluff Bay77
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 76
8 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Harbor Creek77
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 75
8 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Drum Point71
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- King mackerel 71
- Spot 71
8 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 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.