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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot70
- Crevalle jack68
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Gray snapper65
- Red drum64
- Summer flounder64
- King mackerel60
- Southern flounder60
- Black drum59
- Florida pompano59
- Spanish mackerel57
- Sheepshead56
- Black sea bass55
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper54
- Red snapper54
- Cobia53
- Gag grouper53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Little tunny50
- Weakfish50
- Greater amberjack48
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 533 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Howard 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
88Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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
Howard Bay
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Howard Bay
Howard Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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 Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead. 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
- Mile Hammock Bay72
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 68
8 kt ESEH 4:47 PM · 3.2 ftL 11:18 PM · 0.8 ft
- Traps Bay72
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 68
8 kt ESEH 4:47 PM · 3.2 ftL 11:18 PM · 0.8 ft
- Cedar Point68
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
8 kt ESEH 4:47 PM · 3.2 ftL 11:18 PM · 0.8 ft
- Shell Point66
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 64
- Crevalle jack 62
8 kt ESEH 4:47 PM · 3.2 ftL 11:18 PM · 0.8 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.