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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot71
- Crevalle jack61
- Red drum61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Florida pompano60
- King mackerel59
- Summer flounder58
- Southern flounder56
- Spotted seatrout54
- Gray snapper52
- Black drum51
- Spanish mackerel48
- Cobia47
- Weakfish47
- Black sea bass46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red snapper46
- Gag grouper45
- Red grouper45
- Greater amberjack42
- Sheepshead42
- Little tunny40
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 458 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Back Creek 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
94Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
46Season: 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 today
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
Back Creek
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Back Creek
Back Creek is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- Middletown Anchorage75
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Atlantic croaker 73
- King mackerel 66
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Lone Tree Creek71
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 62
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Hillerys Cove71
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Florida pompano 65
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Gibbs Shoal66
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 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.