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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker79
- Spot79
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Florida pompano66
- Crevalle jack65
- Red drum64
- Southern flounder63
- Gray snapper62
- Spotted seatrout60
- Summer flounder60
- Black drum59
- King mackerel59
- Spanish mackerel57
- Little tunny53
- Sheepshead52
- Weakfish52
- Cobia51
- Black sea bass50
- Gag grouper50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red snapper50
- Red grouper49
- Greater amberjack45
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 508 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Deep 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 7 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
46Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Deep Bay
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Deep Bay
Deep Bay is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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 Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. 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
- Hooker Gut81
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 78
- Atlantic tarpon 68
10 kt NEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Broad Creek79
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 79
- Red drum 67
7 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Deer Creek78
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 78
- Atlantic tarpon 69
7 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northeast Prong77
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Florida pompano 66
10 kt NEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 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.