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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot73
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Red drum67
- Gray snapper62
- Crevalle jack61
- Southern flounder58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Black drum57
- Summer flounder57
- Florida pompano55
- King mackerel54
- Black sea bass52
- Weakfish51
- Red snapper50
- Sheepshead48
- Gray triggerfish47
- Gag grouper46
- Spanish mackerel46
- Red grouper45
- Greater amberjack41
- Little tunny40
- Cobia39
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 4610 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Old Channel 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 · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
56Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 12 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
46Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Old Channel
- Depth
- 2-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Old Channel
Old Channel is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, 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 red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, black sea bass and weakfish. 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
- Cedar Inlet77
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 68
12 kt SEL 3:45 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Gutter Creek77
Gut · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 68
12 kt SEL 3:45 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Yaupon Hammock Gut73
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
12 kt SEL 2:18 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:30 AM · 1.2 ft
- Old Channel Point68
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 60
12 kt SEL 3:45 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.5 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.