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Gray triggerfishShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker53
- Spot53
- Atlantic tarpon52
- King mackerel51
- Red drum51
- Gray snapper50
- Black drum49
- Crevalle jack49
- Summer flounder49
- Florida pompano47
- Red snapper46
- Spanish mackerel45
- Black sea bass43
- Gray triggerfish43
- Gag grouper42
- Little tunny41
- Red grouper41
- Greater amberjack38
- Sheepshead37
- Weakfish37
- Bluefish35
- Cobia33
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 4311 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb current
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Merkle Hammock 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
Tuesday, Sep 29 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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 Hammock
- Depth
- About 4 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Protected
- 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 Hammock
Merkle Hammock is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is about 4 ft. Its profile reads bar, 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 king mackerel, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, red snapper 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
- 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
- Mullet Shoal66
Bar · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Atlantic croaker 62
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Point66
Bar · 2.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Atlantic croaker 62
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Whalebone Inlet54
Gut · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 54
- Red drum 53
- Spot 51
20 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft
- High Hills Inlet54
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 54
- Red drum 53
- Spot 51
20 kt NEL 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.