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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper65
- King mackerel65
- Summer flounder65
- Atlantic croaker64
- Crevalle jack64
- Spot64
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Red drum63
- Spotted seatrout59
- Black drum58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Red snapper57
- Southern flounder56
- Black sea bass54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Little tunny54
- Florida pompano53
- Gag grouper53
- Red grouper53
- Greater amberjack52
- Weakfish52
- Sheepshead49
- Cobia48
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 531 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-10 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hog Island Shoal 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 · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 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
Hog Island Shoal
- Depth
- 5-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Hog Island Shoal
Hog Island Shoal is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 5-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, king mackerel and summer flounder. It is peak season now for gray snapper, king mackerel, summer flounder and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for black drum, Spanish mackerel, red snapper and black sea bass. Gray snapper peak from June through September. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Summer flounder peak from September 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Gull Rocks74
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 74
- Gray snapper 72
- Red snapper 66
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Mount Pheasant Bay70
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 70
- Spot 70
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Hickory Creek Bay70
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 67
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Bensons Point64
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 64
- Gray snapper 63
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 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.