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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker49
- Spot49
- Florida pompano48
- King mackerel48
- Gray snapper47
- Summer flounder47
- Crevalle jack45
- Red drum44
- Black drum43
- Red snapper43
- Black sea bass41
- Gray triggerfish40
- Spanish mackerel40
- Gag grouper39
- Red grouper39
- Little tunny37
- Bluefish35
- Greater amberjack35
- Sheepshead35
- Weakfish34
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Cobia29
Best score today · 6 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 393 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-7 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Vera Cruz 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
88Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
21Wind: 21 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.3 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 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
Vera Cruz Shoal
- Depth
- 5-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · 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 Vera Cruz Shoal
Vera Cruz Shoal is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 5-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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
- Horse Island Channel59
Channel · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Spot 56
- Gray snapper 53
21 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Ocracoke Inlet58
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 55
- Crevalle jack 54
21 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Blair Channel58
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 55
- Gray snapper 52
21 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Amity Shoal (historical)49
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 49
- Spot 49
- Florida pompano 48
21 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 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.