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Gray triggerfishShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot71
- Red drum67
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Crevalle jack64
- Gray snapper60
- King mackerel59
- Southern flounder59
- Spotted seatrout59
- Summer flounder58
- Florida pompano57
- Black drum56
- Red snapper54
- Gray triggerfish51
- Weakfish51
- Black sea bass50
- Gag grouper49
- Red grouper49
- Cobia47
- Spanish mackerel47
- Greater amberjack46
- Sheepshead45
- Little tunny44
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 5110 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Merkle 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 · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Gray triggerfish is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray triggerfish is best here
Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Merkle Bay
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish
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 Merkle Bay
Merkle Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 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 red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Gray triggerfish
- Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
- 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
- Deep Bend73
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Red drum 69
12 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Deep Bend Point69
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
12 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- West Thorofare Bay68
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
- Red drum 56
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Tump Point67
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Gray snapper 60
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 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.