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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker63
- Spot63
- Crevalle jack60
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Gray snapper56
- Red drum56
- Summer flounder56
- King mackerel55
- Black drum52
- Florida pompano52
- Southern flounder52
- Spotted seatrout52
- Spanish mackerel49
- Sheepshead48
- Cobia47
- Weakfish47
- Black sea bass46
- Gag grouper46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Little tunny46
- Red snapper46
- Red grouper45
- Greater amberjack40
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 462 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.3 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
94Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & 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 today
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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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 Gut66
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 63
- Crevalle jack 60
9 kt ENEH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ft
- Deer Creek63
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 63
- Crevalle jack 60
9 kt EH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ft
- Broad Creek63
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 63
- Crevalle jack 60
9 kt EH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftL 3:21 AM · 0.4 ft
- Northeast Prong62
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Crevalle jack 60
9 kt ENEH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftL 3:21 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.