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Gray snapperPeak seasonCape · South Carolina
Dolphin Head
32.27°N · 80.72°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Edisto Beach SC to Savannah GA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot69
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Red drum67
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper62
- King mackerel61
- Florida pompano59
- Southern flounder56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Summer flounder55
- Black drum53
- Red snapper53
- Spotted seatrout52
- Black sea bass51
- Little tunny51
- Gray triggerfish50
- Weakfish50
- Cobia49
- Gag grouper49
- Red grouper49
- Sheepshead47
- Greater amberjack44
- Mahi-mahi44
- Wahoo37
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 625 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding5.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dolphin Head 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
60Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 9 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 84°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.
Source: SCDNR · 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
Dolphin Head
- Depth
- 5-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Point · Outer · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
- 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 Dolphin Head
Dolphin Head is a cape in Coastal waters from Edisto Beach SC to Savannah GA out 20 NM, South Carolina. Depth is 5-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 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 red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Fort Fremont Reach78
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 73
9 kt NNEH 6:18 AM · 6.6 ftL 12:29 PM · 1.1 ft
- Port Royal Sound75
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Red drum 72
9 kt NNEH 6:18 AM · 6.6 ftL 12:29 PM · 1.1 ft
- Parris Island Spit75
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 72
9 kt NNEH 6:18 AM · 6.6 ftL 12:29 PM · 1.1 ft
- Middle Shoal74
Bar · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Red drum 71
9 kt NNEH 6:18 AM · 6.6 ftL 12:29 PM · 1.1 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.