UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot77
- Red drum72
- Spotted seatrout72
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Southern flounder66
- Gray snapper64
- Crevalle jack61
- Black drum60
- Florida pompano58
- Summer flounder58
- King mackerel55
- Red snapper52
- Sheepshead52
- Weakfish52
- Spanish mackerel51
- Cobia50
- Gag grouper48
- Gray triggerfish48
- Little tunny48
- Black sea bass47
- Red grouper47
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 484 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-9 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
67Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 6 kt SWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
46Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 · 6 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 red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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
- Hooker Gut81
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 78
- Red drum 75
6 kt WSWL 10:32 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:37 PM · 0.5 ft
- Deer Creek77
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Red drum 76
6 kt SWL 10:32 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:37 PM · 0.5 ft
- Broad Creek77
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Red drum 75
6 kt SWL 10:32 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:37 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northeast Prong77
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 77
- Red drum 72
6 kt WSWL 10:32 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:37 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.