Waterlands

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Gag grouperShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Cypress Point

35.81°N · 75.99°W · Cape · Alligator River

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Best score today · 5 PM · Gag grouper

74/100Great
Now
606 PM EDT
Best window
6-11 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score60Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind3 kn ESEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy64% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

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.

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 North Carolina

Spot profile

Cypress Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Cypress Point

Cypress Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 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 crevalle jack, and shoulder season for little tunny, black drum, Florida pompano 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

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

  • The Straits

    Channel · 5.2 mi

    78
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 78
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spotted seatrout 74

    3 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Bay Point

    Cape · 3.6 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 75
    • Atlantic tarpon 74

    3 kt ESEH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Stumpy Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Atlantic tarpon 73
    • Crevalle jack 70

    3 kt ESEH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 5.1 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    3 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 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 NCDMF before you keep a fish.