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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot73
- Red drum64
- Spotted seatrout62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Southern flounder59
- Crevalle jack58
- Summer flounder58
- Black drum57
- Gray snapper57
- Florida pompano54
- King mackerel52
- Sheepshead49
- Black sea bass48
- Spanish mackerel45
- Weakfish45
- Gag grouper44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Red grouper44
- Red snapper44
- Cobia43
- Little tunny41
- Greater amberjack40
- Bluefish32
Best score today · 8 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 441 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Church Island Channel 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
33Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 4 kt SSEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
47Season: 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
Church Island Channel
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Church Island Channel
Church Island Channel is a channel in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
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, sheepshead and black sea bass. 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
- Cedar Island Bay72
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
- Red drum 68
4 kt SSEL 7:06 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:42 AM · 2.8 ft
- Goose Point70
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Red drum 62
4 kt SSEL 7:13 PM · 1.2 ftH 12:49 AM · 3.0 ft
- Gray Point67
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Red drum 59
4 kt SSEL 7:06 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:42 AM · 2.8 ft
- Wolf House Point67
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Red drum 59
4 kt SSEL 7:06 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:42 AM · 2.8 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.