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Red grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot72
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Crevalle jack65
- Florida pompano64
- Red drum61
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Southern flounder56
- Gray snapper54
- Little tunny50
- Weakfish49
- Cobia46
- Black sea bass45
- Black drum44
- Gag grouper44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Red snapper44
- Spotted seatrout44
- Red grouper43
- Sheepshead40
- Greater amberjack39
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 436 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High5.9 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Lighthouse 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
24Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
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 grouper is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with SCDNR before you keep a fish.
Source: SCDNR · synced today
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
Lighthouse Inlet
- Depth
- 5-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · 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 Lighthouse Inlet
Lighthouse Inlet is a bay in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Depth is 5-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and 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 Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- South Channel78
Channel · 5.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
6 kt ENEL 11:54 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:49 AM · 5.1 ft
- Folly Island Channel77
Channel · 5.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
6 kt ENEL 11:54 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:49 AM · 5.1 ft
- Charleston Harbor76
Bay · 5.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 64
6 kt ENEL 11:54 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:49 AM · 5.1 ft
- Middle Ground69
Bar · 5.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 66
- Florida pompano 65
6 kt ENEL 11:54 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:49 AM · 5.1 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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.