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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot68
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Red drum63
- King mackerel59
- Summer flounder59
- Black drum55
- Florida pompano55
- Red snapper55
- Southern flounder55
- Spotted seatrout54
- Gray triggerfish53
- Spanish mackerel53
- Black sea bass52
- Sheepshead52
- Weakfish52
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper51
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack47
- Little tunny47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 513 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-7 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Deep Cove 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
Friday, Sep 25 · 12 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
36Wind: 18 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
47Season: 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 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
Deep Cove
- Depth
- 6-8 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 Deep Cove
Deep Cove is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 6-8 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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper and gray triggerfish. 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
- Shell Narrows78
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Spot 73
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Bernice Creek72
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Red drum 67
14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- White Perch Bay72
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 65
14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Shell Point69
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 66
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 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.