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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker61
- Spot61
- Crevalle jack58
- Gray snapper57
- King mackerel54
- Red drum54
- Summer flounder53
- Florida pompano52
- Black drum50
- Red snapper50
- Black sea bass48
- Gag grouper47
- Gray triggerfish47
- Weakfish47
- Red grouper46
- Sheepshead46
- Spanish mackerel45
- Greater amberjack42
- Little tunny42
- Cobia41
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 8 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 473 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-10 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding2.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dowdy Bay 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 6 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 74°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
47Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Dowdy Bay
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Dowdy Bay
Dowdy Bay is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- Poplar Branch Bay61
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- Crevalle jack 59
14 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Shoe Hole Bay58
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 58
- Gray snapper 57
- King mackerel 53
14 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Stumpy Cove58
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 58
- Gray snapper 53
- King mackerel 53
14 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Long Point56
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- King mackerel 56
- Spot 56
14 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 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.