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Gray triggerfishShoulder season

Channel · North Carolina

Western Bar Channel

33.89°N · 78.04°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 NM

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Best score today · 8 AM · Gray triggerfish

75/100Great

Now: 455 PM EDT
Best window: 5-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now: Flooding4.8 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

DRAG OR TAP AN HOUR

Time5PNOW

Score45Good

Tide4.8 ft ▲Flooding

CurrentFlood1.6 kn · toward NNE

Wind11 kn NNEgusts 23 · steady

Sea stateModerate3.7 ft · 5 s

Air temp76°Warm

WeatherOvercast76% chance of rain

Water82°FObserved

WED · SEP 23

THU · SEP 24

NOW

10P

11P

12A

10A

11A

12P

0.6

1.5

1.7

1.6

1.2

0.4

0.7

1.6

2.0

2.1

2.0

1.4

○0.2

0.9

1.3

1.4

1.1

0.5

0.4

1.5

2.0

1.7

1.2

2913

2712

2511

2311

2312

2413

2513

2614

2714

2614

2613

2614

2613

2713

2814

3015

3215

3214

3114

3.3

3.5

3.7

3.8

3.9

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.7

4.6

4.5

4.7

4.9

5.1

4.9

4.7

49%

61%

70%

76%

77%

74%

67%

52%

32%

30%

82°

81°

Hour

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Always check with NCDMF ↗Fishing license ↗

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

Gray triggerfish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Western Bar Channel

Depth: 10-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure: Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · 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 Western Bar Channel

Western Bar Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Cape Fear NC to Little River Inlet SC out 20 NM, North Carolina. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, king mackerel and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, weakfish and black sea bass. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
Florida pompano: Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
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

View all on map →

Bald Head Channel Range
Channel · 1.9 mi
70
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Florida pompano 66
- King mackerel 65
11 kt NNEH 6:04 PM · 5.2 ftL 11:55 PM · 0.8 ft
Bald Head
Cape · 2.1 mi
67
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Florida pompano 66
- King mackerel 65
11 kt NNEH 6:04 PM · 5.2 ftL 11:55 PM · 0.8 ft
Cape Fear Slue
Gut · 5.9 mi
64
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
- Florida pompano 64
- King mackerel 64
- Crevalle jack 61
11 kt NNEH 6:02 PM · 5.1 ftL 12:23 AM · 0.8 ft
Frying Pan Shoals
Bar · 7.8 mi
62
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
- Florida pompano 62
- King mackerel 62
- Mahi-mahi 47
11 kt NNEH 6:02 PM · 5.1 ftL 12:23 AM · 0.8 ft

Open in the tide map

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.