UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Gray triggerfishShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel57
- Gray snapper54
- Red drum52
- Atlantic croaker51
- Atlantic tarpon47
- Florida pompano47
- Summer flounder47
- Crevalle jack45
- Red snapper45
- Gray triggerfish43
- Greater amberjack42
- Black sea bass41
- Red grouper41
- Spot41
- Black drum40
- Gag grouper40
- Spanish mackerel40
- Weakfish36
- Bluefish35
- Cobia34
- Little tunny33
- Sheepshead33
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 1 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 4310 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb current
- Tide now
- Low0.9 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 · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
29Tide: Low slackCurrent: 1.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
60Wind: 16 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray triggerfish is best here
Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 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 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 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, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red snapper, gray triggerfish and greater amberjack. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from August through November.
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.
- 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Oliver Reef56
Bar · 1.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 56
- Gray snapper 54
- Red drum 52
16 kt ENEH 3:01 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:58 AM · 0.8 ft
- Hatteras Inlet56
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 56
- Crevalle jack 55
- King mackerel 54
16 kt ENEH 3:01 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:58 AM · 0.8 ft
- Shark Shoal53
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 53
- Gray snapper 51
- Red drum 50
16 kt ENEL 10:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 4:19 AM · 0.8 ft
- Pelican Shoal48
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 48
- Gray snapper 48
- King mackerel 48
16 kt ENEH 3:01 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:58 AM · 0.8 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.