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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot68
- Crevalle jack65
- Red drum65
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Southern flounder60
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel59
- Gray snapper57
- Spotted seatrout55
- Florida pompano54
- Spanish mackerel51
- Weakfish51
- Black drum50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Black sea bass49
- Cobia49
- Red snapper49
- Gag grouper48
- Red grouper48
- Sheepshead44
- Greater amberjack43
- Little tunny42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 487 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sheephead Creek 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
53Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 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
Sheephead Creek
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Sheephead Creek
Sheephead Creek is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, 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 red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, weakfish and black drum. 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
- Bonner Bay71
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 65
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bryan Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Atlantic tarpon 65
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Davis Island Point65
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 63
- Crevalle jack 60
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bryan Shoal65
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 63
- Florida pompano 61
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 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.