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Gray triggerfishShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano47
- King mackerel42
- Red snapper31
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Crevalle jack30
- Gray snapper30
- Little tunny30
- Red drum30
- Sheepshead30
- Southern flounder30
- Spanish mackerel30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Summer flounder30
- Weakfish30
- Black sea bass29
- Gag grouper28
- Gray triggerfish28
- Red grouper28
- Bluefish26
- Greater amberjack26
Best score today · 8 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 285 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ships 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
51Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
36Wind: 19 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
20Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.6 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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 yesterday
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
Ships Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 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 Ships Bay
Ships Bay is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, king mackerel and red snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red snapper, black drum and cobia. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and from September 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.
- 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
- Whole Head Bay46
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 46
- King mackerel 46
- Red snapper 35
15 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Whale Head Bay46
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 46
- King mackerel 46
- Red snapper 35
15 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Jenkins Cove42
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 42
- King mackerel 42
- Red snapper 31
19 kt NEH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ftL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ft
- Raccoon Bay42
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 42
- King mackerel 42
- Red snapper 31
19 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.