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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Spot65
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Gray snapper62
- Crevalle jack61
- Summer flounder59
- King mackerel58
- Red drum58
- Black sea bass56
- Black drum55
- Red snapper53
- Weakfish52
- Florida pompano51
- Gray triggerfish50
- Sheepshead50
- Gag grouper49
- Red grouper49
- Greater amberjack45
- Spanish mackerel44
- Little tunny41
- Cobia39
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 3 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 493 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-8 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Foot Slough Channel 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
93Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 13 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & 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 Foot Slough Channel
- Depth
- 3-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Foot Slough Channel
Big Foot Slough Channel is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
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 black sea bass, black drum, red snapper and weakfish. 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
- Howard Reef65
Bar · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- King mackerel 65
- Gray snapper 62
13 kt NNEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Teaches Hole Channel58
Channel · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 56
- Gray snapper 53
21 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northern Pond55
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 55
- Spot 55
- Gray snapper 52
21 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Gap Point50
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 50
- Spot 50
- Gray snapper 48
21 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 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.