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Gray triggerfishShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano64
- King mackerel64
- Atlantic croaker63
- Crevalle jack63
- Spot63
- Summer flounder63
- Gray snapper60
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Black drum56
- Red drum56
- Black sea bass55
- Gag grouper55
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red snapper55
- Red grouper54
- Little tunny53
- Greater amberjack50
- Sheepshead50
- Southern flounder50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Cobia46
- Weakfish46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 551 PM EDT
- Best window
- 1-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
91Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 13 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
78Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
44Season: 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 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 Florida pompano, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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
- Whalebone Inlet70
Gut · 2.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- King mackerel 68
15 kt ENEH 5:26 PM · 2.1 ftL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ft
- High Hills Inlet70
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- King mackerel 68
15 kt ENEH 5:26 PM · 2.1 ftL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ft
- Mullet Shoal62
Bar · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic tarpon 60
- King mackerel 59
13 kt ENEL 2:11 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:33 PM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Point62
Bar · 2.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic tarpon 60
- Atlantic croaker 58
13 kt ENEL 2:11 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:33 PM · 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.