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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker57
- Spot56
- Red drum55
- Crevalle jack53
- King mackerel52
- Summer flounder50
- Gray snapper49
- Black drum46
- Florida pompano45
- Red snapper45
- Black sea bass42
- Gray triggerfish42
- Weakfish42
- Gag grouper41
- Red grouper41
- Cobia38
- Spanish mackerel38
- Greater amberjack37
- Sheepshead36
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Little tunny32
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 12 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 414 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Swash 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
Wednesday, Sep 30 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
96Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
The Swash
- Depth
- 1-3 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 The Swash
The Swash is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 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 red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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.
- 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
- Great Island Creek60
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Spot 57
- Gray snapper 54
15 kt NNEH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ft
- Horse Island Cove57
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 56
- Crevalle jack 53
15 kt NNEH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ft
- Horse Island Point55
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 55
- King mackerel 52
- Atlantic croaker 51
15 kt NNEH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:03 PM · 0.4 ft
- Great Island Point55
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 55
- King mackerel 52
- Atlantic croaker 51
15 kt NNEH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:03 PM · 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.