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Gray snapperPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker57
- Spot54
- Red drum53
- Crevalle jack52
- King mackerel51
- Gray snapper49
- Summer flounder47
- Black drum45
- Florida pompano45
- Black sea bass43
- Weakfish42
- Red snapper41
- Spanish mackerel40
- Cobia37
- Gray triggerfish37
- Sheepshead37
- Gag grouper36
- Little tunny36
- Red grouper36
- Bluefish35
- Greater amberjack32
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 2 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 492 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-4 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Whalebone Inlet 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
66Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
100Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
74Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Gray 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Whalebone Inlet
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · ProtectedInlet · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonGray 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 Whalebone Inlet
Whalebone Inlet is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and protected.
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, black sea bass and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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
- High Hills Inlet57
Channel · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 54
- Red drum 53
21 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Merkle Hammock56
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Spot 56
- Florida pompano 54
13 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Royal Point Bay54
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 54
- Spot 54
- Crevalle jack 50
21 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Daniel Swash53
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 53
- Red drum 53
- Spot 53
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.