Waterlands

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Gag grouperShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Daniel Swash

35.03°N · 76.10°W · Bay · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 5 AM · Gag grouper

75/100Great
Now
385 PM EDT
Best window
5-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.1 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score38Fair
Tide2.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind18 kn ENEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 4 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherOvercast80% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gag grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in North Carolina

Spot profile

Daniel Swash

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Daniel Swash

Daniel Swash is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, 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 king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and black sea bass. 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

  • The Haulover

    Gut · 1.9 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 54

    18 kt ENEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft

  • High Hills Inlet

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Spot 62
    • Florida pompano 58

    18 kt ENEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Whalebone Inlet

    Gut · 1.3 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Spot 62
    • Florida pompano 58

    18 kt ENEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Royal Point Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Spot 63
    • Florida pompano 58

    18 kt ENEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 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.