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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot72
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Crevalle jack68
- Southern flounder67
- Gray snapper65
- Summer flounder65
- Red drum64
- King mackerel63
- Black drum61
- Florida pompano60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Sheepshead58
- Cobia57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Gray triggerfish56
- Black sea bass55
- Red snapper55
- Gag grouper54
- Red grouper54
- Weakfish53
- Little tunny52
- Greater amberjack50
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 552 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West Bluff 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
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 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 Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
West Bluff Bay
- Depth
- 7-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed 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 West Bluff Bay
West Bluff Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 7-9 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, sheepshead and cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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
- Southwest Bay73
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 69
6 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- Cunning Harbor Bay73
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 69
6 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- East Bluff Bay73
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Atlantic tarpon 69
6 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- Drum Point67
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 65
6 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 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.