Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Willis Point

34.73°N · 76.71°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Gray triggerfish

76/100Great
Now
603 PM EDT
Best window
3-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score63Good
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward S
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 17 · steady
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy48% cloud
Water78°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Gray triggerfish is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder

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

Gray triggerfish in North Carolina

Spot profile

Willis Point

Depth
1-3 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish

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 Willis Point

Willis Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Gray triggerfish
Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Crab Point Thorofare

    Channel · 0.3 mi

    79
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Crevalle jack 78
    • Atlantic tarpon 77

    10 kt ENEH 5:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:56 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Calico Bay

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    78
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 78
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Gray snapper 74

    10 kt ENEH 5:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:56 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Crab Point Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Crevalle jack 75
    • Spot 74

    10 kt ENEH 5:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:56 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Dennis Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Crevalle jack 75
    • Spot 74

    10 kt ENEH 5:40 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:56 PM · 1.0 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.