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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker58
- Spot58
- Atlantic tarpon56
- Gray snapper55
- Southern flounder55
- Spotted seatrout55
- Red drum54
- Summer flounder54
- Crevalle jack53
- Weakfish52
- King mackerel47
- Black drum46
- Florida pompano45
- Little tunny45
- Sheepshead43
- Spanish mackerel42
- Black sea bass41
- Cobia41
- Red snapper40
- Gag grouper38
- Gray triggerfish37
- Red grouper37
- Greater amberjack36
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 383 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 AMDawn
Data from: ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chocowinity 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 5 PM
- —
Tide & current
Wind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
68Light: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
47Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Chocowinity Bay
- Depth
- 3-5 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 Chocowinity Bay
Chocowinity Bay is a bay in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 3-5 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, Florida pompano and little tunny. 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
- Coon Gut61
Gut · 4.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Atlantic tarpon 60
- Southern flounder 59
9 kt NNE
- Blounts Bay58
Bay · 6.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 58
- Atlantic tarpon 56
9 kt NNE
- Austin Point52
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 52
- Spot 52
- Atlantic tarpon 52
9 kt NNE
- Red Bug Point52
Cape · 6.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 52
- Spot 52
- Atlantic tarpon 52
9 kt NNE
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.