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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot75
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Red drum69
- Gray snapper68
- Crevalle jack66
- Southern flounder63
- Summer flounder62
- Florida pompano61
- Spotted seatrout61
- Black drum60
- King mackerel59
- Weakfish57
- Spanish mackerel56
- Red snapper55
- Sheepshead54
- Black sea bass53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Cobia51
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper51
- Little tunny49
- Greater amberjack46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 1 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 5112 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-6 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Eastard Bay 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
46Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 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
Eastard Bay
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Eastard Bay
Eastard Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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 red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and Spanish mackerel. 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
- Shell Narrows79
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 74
9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Swanquarter Bay77
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 71
9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Deep Bay73
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 66
13 kt NEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Bernice Creek73
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 67
13 kt NEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 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.