UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spot75
- Atlantic croaker73
- King mackerel66
- Florida pompano65
- Crevalle jack63
- Gray snapper59
- Summer flounder59
- Atlantic tarpon55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Black sea bass53
- Black drum52
- Red drum52
- Southern flounder52
- Spotted seatrout52
- Sheepshead50
- Cobia49
- Weakfish47
- Gag grouper46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Little tunny46
- Red snapper46
- Red grouper45
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 468 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middletown Anchorage 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 · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
47Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Middletown Anchorage
- Depth
- 6-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Middletown Anchorage
Middletown Anchorage is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 6-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and black drum. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Back Creek71
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 61
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Lone Tree Creek71
Bay · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 62
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Berrys Bay70
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 63
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Gibbs Shoal66
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 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.