Waterlands

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Gag grouperShoulder season

Bay · Georgia

Altamaha Sound

31.32°N · 81.30°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Savannah GA to Altamaha Sound GA out 20 nm, including Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary

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Best score today · 3 AM · Gag grouper

81/100Great
Now
437 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High7.3 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sun · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score43Fair
Tide7.3 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy62% cloud
Water85°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Gag grouper is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with GADNR CRD before you keep a fish.

Always check with GADNR CRD ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: GADNR CRD · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gag grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in Georgia →

Spot profile

Altamaha Sound

Depth
3-20 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonGag grouper

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 Altamaha Sound

Altamaha Sound is a bay in Coastal waters from Savannah GA to Altamaha Sound GA out 20 nm, including Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary, Georgia. Depth is 3-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, mahi-mahi and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Gag grouper
Gag hold on ledges, rock piles and wrecks, from 15 to 40 feet in the fall on Florida's Gulf coast out to 250 feet the rest of the year. Troll deep-diving plugs to find productive rocks, then anchor and drop or freeline live pinfish or pigfish on a strong circle hook. Keep the drag tight and turn the fish in the first few seconds or it will reach the rocks.
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

View all on map →
  • Buttermilk Sound

    Bay · 5.2 mi

    74
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 74
    • Spot 71
    • Atlantic tarpon 70

    7 kt ENEL 2:17 AM · 1.3 ftH 7:47 AM · 7.3 ft

  • Pine Creek

    Channel · 4.7 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Spot 68
    • Florida pompano 66

    7 kt ENEL 12:58 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:05 AM · 7.0 ft

  • Doboy Sound

    Bay · 5.4 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 70
    • Florida pompano 67

    5 kt NEL 1:08 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:04 AM · 7.2 ft

  • Wolf Island Spit

    Bar · 3.4 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 66
    • Florida pompano 65

    7 kt ENEL 1:08 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:04 AM · 7.2 ft

Open in the tide map

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 GADNR CRD before you keep a fish.