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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker60
- Spot60
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Southern flounder56
- Black drum54
- Gray snapper54
- Summer flounder54
- Red drum53
- Spotted seatrout53
- King mackerel52
- Crevalle jack51
- Florida pompano51
- Red snapper47
- Spanish mackerel47
- Black sea bass44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Weakfish44
- Gag grouper43
- Little tunny43
- Red grouper43
- Sheepshead42
- Cobia40
- Greater amberjack38
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 433 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Low0.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy Point Shoal 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
39Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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 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
Sandy Point Shoal
- Depth
- 5-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Sandy Point Shoal
Sandy Point Shoal is a bar in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 5-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, 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 southern flounder, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. 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
- Middle Ground63
Bar · 2.7 mi
Top: Southern flounderPeak season- Southern flounder 63
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Red drum 62
7 kt ENEH 7:13 AM · 0.4 ftL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ft
- Long Shoal Point63
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Red drum 62
- Southern flounder 60
7 kt ENEH 7:13 AM · 0.4 ftL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ft
- Bay Point60
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Spot 59
- Atlantic tarpon 58
4 kt ENEH 7:13 AM · 0.4 ftL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ft
- Rock Point60
Cape · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Spot 60
- Atlantic tarpon 58
7 kt ENEH 7:13 AM · 0.4 ftL 2:24 PM · 0.3 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.