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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot70
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Florida pompano68
- Gray snapper65
- Red drum65
- Summer flounder63
- Crevalle jack62
- King mackerel61
- Black drum60
- Spanish mackerel59
- Southern flounder58
- Red snapper56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Gray triggerfish54
- Black sea bass53
- Gag grouper52
- Little tunny52
- Red grouper52
- Sheepshead50
- Greater amberjack49
- Weakfish49
- Cobia45
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 5210 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Ground 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
Friday, Sep 25 · 12 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
79Wind: 13 kt NPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
86Water temp: 77°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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 today
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
Middle Ground
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Middle Ground
Middle Ground is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Inner Middle73
Bar · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 68
9 kt NNEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Upper Middle73
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 68
9 kt NNEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Outer Point73
Cape · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 70
- Atlantic tarpon 68
9 kt NNEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Lower Middle70
Bar · 4.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 69
9 kt NNEL 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.