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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot64
- Red drum61
- Florida pompano59
- Summer flounder56
- Atlantic tarpon55
- Crevalle jack55
- Gray snapper54
- Black drum53
- Spanish mackerel52
- Southern flounder51
- King mackerel50
- Spotted seatrout49
- Gray triggerfish47
- Black sea bass46
- Gag grouper45
- Little tunny45
- Red grouper45
- Red snapper45
- Sheepshead43
- Greater amberjack41
- Cobia40
- Weakfish36
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 6 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 453 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Ground 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
Tuesday, Sep 29 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
78Wind: 12 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
45Season: 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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.
Source: SCDNR · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 32 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Ground
- Depth
- 10-20 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Middle Ground
Middle Ground is a bar in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Depth is 10-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, 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 summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and gray triggerfish. 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
- Folly Island Channel75
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 70
- Red drum 67
3 kt SSEL 8:32 PM · 1.8 ftH 2:11 AM · 4.6 ft
- Charleston Harbor73
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Crevalle jack 62
3 kt SSEL 8:32 PM · 1.8 ftH 2:11 AM · 4.6 ft
- South Channel73
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 68
- Red drum 66
3 kt SSEL 8:32 PM · 1.8 ftH 2:11 AM · 4.6 ft
- Bennis Reach73
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 68
- Red drum 66
3 kt SSEL 8:34 PM · 1.8 ftH 2:16 AM · 4.7 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.