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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel52
- Red snapper47
- Black sea bass44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Florida pompano43
- Red grouper43
- Gag grouper42
- Crevalle jack41
- Greater amberjack38
- Bluefish33
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Gray snapper30
- Little tunny30
- Red drum30
- Sheepshead30
- Southern flounder30
- Spanish mackerel30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Summer flounder30
- Weakfish30
Best score today · 2 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 423 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-4 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Austin Reef 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
87Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
15Wind: 24 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
23Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In 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
Austin Reef
- Depth
- 4-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · slope
- 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 Austin Reef
Austin Reef is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, red snapper and black sea bass. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and Florida pompano. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Red snapper peak from May through August. 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.
- 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.
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oliver Reef51
Bar · 1.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 51
- Red snapper 47
- Black sea bass 43
24 kt NEH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ftL 11:46 AM · 0.5 ft
- Hatteras Inlet50
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 50
- King mackerel 50
- Florida pompano 43
24 kt NEH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ftL 11:46 AM · 0.5 ft
- Shark Shoal45
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 45
- King mackerel 45
- Crevalle jack 43
24 kt NEH 6:57 AM · 0.8 ftL 1:41 PM · 0.5 ft
- Pelican Shoal44
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 44
- King mackerel 44
- Crevalle jack 42
24 kt NEH 5:41 AM · 1.9 ftL 11:46 AM · 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.