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Gray triggerfishShoulder seasonBay · North Carolina
Bacon Inlet
33.90°N · 78.33°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack73
- King mackerel70
- Atlantic croaker67
- Spot65
- Summer flounder65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Florida pompano64
- Red drum61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Gray snapper59
- Gray triggerfish57
- Black sea bass56
- Red snapper56
- Gag grouper55
- Little tunny55
- Red grouper55
- Cobia52
- Greater amberjack52
- Wahoo52
- Weakfish52
- Mahi-mahi51
- Black drum48
- Sheepshead48
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 8 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 573 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-10 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding2.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bacon Inlet 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
79Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 82°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Gray triggerfish 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 Gray triggerfish is best here
Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bacon Inlet
- Depth
- 25-30 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish
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 Bacon Inlet
Bacon Inlet is a bay in Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 NM, North Carolina. Depth is 25-30 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, gray triggerfish and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
Tackle & technique
- Gray triggerfish
- Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Western Bar Channel68
Channel · 17 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- King mackerel 68
- Florida pompano 66
12 kt NNEH 6:08 PM · 5.1 ftL 11:53 PM · 0.8 ft
- Bald Head Channel Range65
Channel · 18 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- King mackerel 65
- Crevalle jack 64
12 kt NNEH 6:04 PM · 5.2 ftL 11:55 PM · 0.8 ft
- Bald Head65
Cape · 19 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 65
- Crevalle jack 64
- Atlantic croaker 62
12 kt NNEH 6:04 PM · 5.2 ftL 11:55 PM · 0.8 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.