Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Croatan Sound

35.84°N · 75.70°W · Bay · Croatan and Roanoke Sounds

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Gray triggerfish

73/100Great
Now
4211 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score42Fair
Tide0.6 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind16 kn NEgusts 31 · steady
Sea stateRough4.2 ft · 6 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast51% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in North Carolina

Spot profile

Croatan Sound

Depth
About 10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Croatan Sound

Croatan Sound is a bay in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth is about 10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, crevalle jack and red snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, gray snapper and summer flounder, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and gag grouper. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Red snapper peak from May through August.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Ashbee Harbor

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    60
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 60
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Black sea bass 50

    16 kt NEL 2:47 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Cedar Bush Bay

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    57
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • King mackerel 54
    • Florida pompano 41

    16 kt NEL 2:47 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Oyster Creek

    Gut · 2.2 mi

    57
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • King mackerel 53
    • Black sea bass 41

    16 kt NEL 2:47 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 54
    • Crevalle jack 51
    • Red snapper 46

    16 kt NEL 2:47 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:40 AM · 0.6 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.