Waterlands

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Gag grouperPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Cape Point

34.58°N · 76.53°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Gag grouper

79/100Great
Now
531 AM EST
Best window
6-8 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score71Great
Tide3.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward ESE
Wind7 kn ESEgusts 16 · steady
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy56% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Peak season for Gag grouper · 8 more weeks at peak

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Peak season for Gag grouper · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Cape Point

Depth
5-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Cape Point

Cape Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, Florida pompano and weakfish, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and black drum. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Little tunny peak from October through November. 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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Barden Inlet

    Channel · 3.8 mi

    70
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 70
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Florida pompano 67

    7 kt ENEL 8:11 AM · 0.9 ftH 2:09 PM · 4.2 ft

  • Catfish Point

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    68
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 68
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 64

    8 kt ENEL 8:11 AM · 0.9 ftH 2:09 PM · 4.2 ft

  • Lookout Bight

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    67
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 67
    • Florida pompano 65
    • Red drum 65

    8 kt ENEL 8:11 AM · 0.9 ftH 2:09 PM · 4.2 ft

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 63
    • Florida pompano 61

    8 kt ENEL 8:11 AM · 0.9 ftH 2:09 PM · 4.2 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.