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Gray triggerfishShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot74
- Florida pompano61
- Crevalle jack60
- Red drum60
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Summer flounder57
- King mackerel56
- Southern flounder55
- Gray snapper53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Black drum50
- Black sea bass46
- Cobia46
- Gag grouper46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red snapper46
- Spanish mackerel46
- Weakfish46
- Red grouper45
- Sheepshead43
- Little tunny42
- Greater amberjack41
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 466 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.9 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Trench 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
The Trench
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 The Trench
The Trench is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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
- Pea Island Bay74
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 74
- Florida pompano 65
8 kt ENEL 11:39 AM · 0.1 ftH 6:06 PM · 1.0 ft
- Goat Island Bay74
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 74
- Florida pompano 61
8 kt ENEL 11:39 AM · 0.1 ftH 6:06 PM · 1.0 ft
- Eagle Nest Bay74
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 74
- Red drum 65
8 kt ENEL 10:55 AM · 0.4 ftH 5:25 PM · 2.2 ft
- Goose Island Point69
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Florida pompano 61
8 kt ENEL 11:39 AM · 0.1 ftH 6:06 PM · 1.0 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.