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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot66
- Spotted seatrout64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Crevalle jack63
- Gray snapper63
- Red drum63
- Southern flounder62
- Summer flounder62
- Weakfish61
- King mackerel57
- Black drum55
- Little tunny54
- Sheepshead51
- Spanish mackerel51
- Black sea bass50
- Cobia50
- Red snapper50
- Gag grouper48
- Gray triggerfish47
- Red grouper47
- Greater amberjack46
- Florida pompano43
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 484 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-7 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
7Light: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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 yesterday
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
Big Bay
- Depth
- 1-5 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 Big Bay
Big Bay is a bay in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 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 spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, spotted seatrout and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, little tunny and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
- 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
- Catnip Point61
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- Gray snapper 59
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Bonners Point61
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- Gray snapper 59
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Plum Point61
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- Gray snapper 59
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Sullivan Point61
Cape · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- Gray snapper 59
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 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.