UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker80
- Spot77
- Atlantic tarpon74
- Crevalle jack71
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum69
- Summer flounder69
- Black drum67
- King mackerel65
- Spotted seatrout65
- Southern flounder64
- Black sea bass63
- Weakfish62
- Red snapper60
- Sheepshead60
- Gray triggerfish58
- Gag grouper57
- Red grouper56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Florida pompano54
- Greater amberjack52
- Cobia51
- Little tunny50
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 579 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.6 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
East Channel
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 East Channel
East Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, weakfish and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- West Channel80
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 74
7 kt NNEL 1:27 AM · 0.8 ftH 7:06 AM · 1.9 ft
- Main Channel80
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 74
7 kt NNEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Hawkins Bay77
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 76
- Red drum 73
7 kt NNEL 1:27 AM · 0.8 ftH 7:06 AM · 1.9 ft
- Robinson Point73
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
7 kt NNEL 1:27 AM · 0.8 ftH 7:06 AM · 1.9 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.