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Red snapperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker63
- Spot61
- Red drum55
- Florida pompano53
- Atlantic tarpon50
- Gray snapper50
- Summer flounder47
- Crevalle jack46
- Spotted seatrout44
- Black drum43
- Southern flounder43
- Spanish mackerel42
- King mackerel41
- Red snapper38
- Gray triggerfish36
- Black sea bass35
- Red grouper35
- Gag grouper34
- Little tunny34
- Weakfish34
- Sheepshead32
- Greater amberjack31
- Bluefish30
- Cobia29
Best score today · 6 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 381 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High4.6 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
25Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 1 kt NEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
45Season: 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 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 Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and red snapper. 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
- South Channel73
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 68
- Red drum 61
1 kt NEL 7:21 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:06 PM · 5.3 ft
- Bennis Reach73
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 68
- Red drum 65
1 kt NEL 7:23 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:11 PM · 5.5 ft
- Folly Island Channel72
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 67
- Red drum 61
1 kt NEL 7:21 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:06 PM · 5.3 ft
- Charleston Harbor70
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Gray snapper 56
1 kt NEL 7:21 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:06 PM · 5.3 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.