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Gray triggerfishShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot66
- Red drum64
- Crevalle jack63
- Gray snapper59
- King mackerel59
- Summer flounder58
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Red snapper54
- Black sea bass51
- Gray triggerfish51
- Gag grouper50
- Red grouper50
- Weakfish50
- Black drum48
- Greater amberjack47
- Cobia46
- Spanish mackerel46
- Sheepshead45
- Little tunny42
- Florida pompano41
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 1 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 511 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-3 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Merkle Hammock Creek 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 7 kt WPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: 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 yesterday
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 Creek
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Hammock Creek
Merkle Hammock Creek is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
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 crevalle jack, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and gag grouper. 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
- Barry Bay65
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Crevalle jack 65
- Gray snapper 65
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Thorofare Bay65
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Crevalle jack 65
- Gray snapper 65
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Bull Creek65
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Red drum 65
- Spot 65
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Hall Point61
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 61
- King mackerel 61
- Atlantic croaker 60
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 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.