Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Gag grouperPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Black Walnut Point

35.99°N · 76.68°W · Cape · Albemarle Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper

66/100Great
Now
441 AM EST
Best window
6-10 AMDawn

Data from: ECMWF · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Black Walnut Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score44Fair
Wind4 kn NEgusts 6 · steady
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud

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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gag grouper is best here

Peak season for Gag grouper · 8 more weeks at peak

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Peak season for Gag grouper · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Black Walnut Point

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Black Walnut Point

Black Walnut Point is a cape in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, bluefish and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for little tunny, bluefish, spotted seatrout and weakfish, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Batchelor Bay

    Bay · 2.6 mi

    59
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 59
    • Spotted seatrout 58
    • Red drum 57

    4 kt NE

  • Swan Bay

    Bay · 4.1 mi

    59
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 59
    • Spotted seatrout 58
    • Red drum 57

    4 kt NE

  • Reedy Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Bluefish 54
    • Spotted seatrout 54

    4 kt NE

  • Cherry Point

    Cape · 5.4 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Bluefish 54
    • Spotted seatrout 54

    4 kt NE

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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.