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Gray snapperPeak seasonBay · South Carolina
Long Bay
33.59°N · 78.96°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel65
- Crevalle jack64
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot60
- Florida pompano58
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Red drum57
- Summer flounder57
- Gray snapper54
- Spanish mackerel54
- Gray triggerfish52
- Black sea bass51
- Mahi-mahi51
- Red snapper51
- Gag grouper50
- Red grouper50
- Greater amberjack46
- Little tunny46
- Weakfish45
- Black drum44
- Cobia44
- Sheepshead43
- Wahoo43
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 7 PM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 541 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Long Bay 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
56Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
66Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 82°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.7 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 today
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
Long Bay
- Depth
- 25-30 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · 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 Long Bay
Long Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM, South Carolina. Depth is 25-30 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, gray triggerfish and black sea bass. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
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.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
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.