Waterlands

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Gag grouperPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Shell Point

34.68°N · 76.53°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 6 AM · Gag grouper

85/100Epic
Now
539 AM EST
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 10 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score69Great
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward ESE
Wind7 kn WNWgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 5 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water67°FModel

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

Shell Point

Depth
6-7 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 Shell Point

Shell Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 6-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, bluefish and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, bluefish, black sea bass and red drum, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Black sea bass 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Henry Jones Creek

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Spotted seatrout 62
    • Bluefish 61

    10 kt NNEH 3:16 PM · 1.9 ftL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 59
    • Black sea bass 56

    10 kt NNEH 3:16 PM · 1.9 ftL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Eastmouth Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Bluefish 61
    • Red drum 61

    10 kt NNEH 3:16 PM · 1.9 ftL 10:30 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Lighthouse Channel

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    62
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 62
    • Weakfish 61
    • Red drum 59

    10 kt NNEH 3:16 PM · 1.9 ftL 10:30 PM · 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.