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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot74
- Florida pompano67
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Crevalle jack64
- King mackerel62
- Gray snapper61
- Red drum61
- Summer flounder61
- Spanish mackerel56
- Black drum54
- Southern flounder54
- Spotted seatrout54
- Gray triggerfish51
- Black sea bass50
- Gag grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Sheepshead50
- Weakfish50
- Cobia49
- Red grouper49
- Little tunny47
- Greater amberjack44
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 505 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Alligator 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
50Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.3 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 · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Alligator Bay
- Depth
- 2-5 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 Alligator Bay
Alligator Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-5 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 Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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
- Bumps Creek79
Gut · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 67
9 kt EL 11:58 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ft
- Chadwick Bay76
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Florida pompano 67
9 kt EL 11:58 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:49 AM · 2.8 ft
- Rogers Bay75
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 74
- Florida pompano 62
9 kt EL 11:40 PM · 1.0 ftH 5:36 AM · 4.0 ft
- Roses Point70
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 68
- Red drum 66
9 kt EL 11:58 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:49 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.