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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel64
- Gray snapper59
- Red snapper59
- Gray triggerfish57
- Atlantic croaker55
- Black sea bass55
- Gag grouper55
- Red grouper55
- Spot55
- Crevalle jack53
- Summer flounder53
- Red drum51
- Greater amberjack50
- Black drum48
- Sheepshead46
- Spanish mackerel46
- Florida pompano42
- Little tunny42
- Cobia41
- Weakfish38
- Bluefish35
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 559 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Oyster Rocks 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
38Wind: 19 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.9 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
72Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: 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
Oyster Rocks
- Depth
- 4-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
- 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 Oyster Rocks
Oyster Rocks is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, gray snapper and red snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and spot, and shoulder season for red snapper, gray triggerfish, black sea bass and gag grouper. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red snapper peak from May through August.
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.
- 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Blair Channel64
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 61
- Crevalle jack 59
19 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft
- Horse Island Channel64
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 61
- Crevalle jack 58
19 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft
- Wallace Channel63
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 61
- Crevalle jack 58
19 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft
- Haulover Point55
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 55
- Spot 55
- King mackerel 54
19 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 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.