The grounds · 180 ft · banks, ledges and wrecks

Red Porgy

Pagrus pagrus. Prime water reaches Cape Hatteras in Southeast Atlantic right now (79°F on the bottom). Fish it 131–179 ft down — that is where 81–79°F water sits off Cape Hatteras.

Red Porgy identification illustration
LaneThe grounds · 30 fa (180 ft)
Depth it holds131–427 ft
Prime water61–77°F (workable 61–82°F)
Holds in the column131–427 ft down (on the bottom)
Judged onseabed temperature (RTOFS at depth)
Structureprefers deep live bottom

The water column off Cape Hatteras

0 ft90 ft179 ft48 ft of workable water131–179 ft · 81–79°F

The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 179 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Red Porgy's temperature band (61–82°F) and the depth it holds actually overlap. That thickness is the number that matters: it is how much water you can work, not just whether the spot is warm enough somewhere. One model cycle, not a weekly archive — this holds still while the surface map scrubs.

How it's fished

Cut bait on a two-hook bottom rig over deep live bottom, often between the snapper drops.

Region by region — right now

RegionSeasonPrime waterTempFish it atMonths
Southeast Atlantic in season reaches Cape Hatteras 79°F 131–179 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Gulf of Mexico in season reaches Tampa 77°F 131–181 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Mid-Atlantic in season reaches Virginia Beach 61°F 131–181 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
"Fish it at" is where this species' temperature band and its holding depth overlap in the water column, from the RTOFS profile (13 levels, 0–300 m) — the depth to actually put a bait, not just the place. "Prime water" is the furthest sampled station on the 30-fathom lane whose seabed temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 30-fathom lane
Flower Garden Banks
Wilmington Canyon