Waterlands

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Gag grouperShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

North Bay

35.06°N · 76.47°W · Bay · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 12 AM · Gag grouper

72/100Great
Now
5112 AM EDT
Best window
12-3 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score51Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward S
Wind13 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy100% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

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

Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in North Carolina

Spot profile

North Bay

Depth
1-4 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 North Bay

North Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, 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 Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, weakfish and sheepshead. 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

  • Rattan Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft

  • East Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 71
    • Red drum 70

    13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Rattan Spit

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 62

    13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Hammock Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 63

    13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 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.