UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Spot67
- Red drum56
- Florida pompano55
- Atlantic tarpon54
- Crevalle jack54
- King mackerel51
- Gray snapper50
- Summer flounder49
- Black drum44
- Red snapper44
- Black sea bass41
- Gray triggerfish41
- Weakfish41
- Gag grouper40
- Red grouper39
- Cobia37
- Greater amberjack37
- Spanish mackerel37
- Bluefish35
- Sheepshead35
- Little tunny33
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 4410 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.6 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West Thorofare 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
92Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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 Thorofare Bay
- Depth
- About 1 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 Thorofare Bay
West Thorofare Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 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 Atlantic tarpon, 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. Red drum peak from August through November.
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
- Merkle Bay72
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 71
- Red drum 67
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Goose Bay68
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
- Red drum 56
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Bull Creek68
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
- Red drum 56
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Owens Bay68
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
- Red drum 56
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 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.