Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishOff season

Bay · North Carolina

West Bluff Bay

35.34°N · 76.17°W · Bay · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Gray triggerfish

80/100Great
Now
3512 PM EST
Best window
1 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Low0.2 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide0.2 ftLow
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind5 kn ENEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast86% cloud
Water64°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Out of season for Gray triggerfish · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Out of season for Gray triggerfish · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

West Bluff Bay

Depth
7-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Off 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 West Bluff Bay

West Bluff Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 7-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are weakfish, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for weakfish, little tunny, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and summer flounder. Weakfish peak from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Red drum peak from August 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.
Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Drum Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Black sea bass 57
    • Red drum 57

    5 kt ENEH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ftL 12:32 AM · 0.4 ft

  • East Bluff Bay

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    64
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 64
    • Red drum 63
    • Little tunny 62

    5 kt ENEH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ftL 12:32 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Southwest Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    62
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 62
    • Little tunny 61
    • Red drum 61

    5 kt ENEH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ftL 12:32 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Cunning Harbor Bay

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    61
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 61
    • Little tunny 60
    • Red drum 60

    5 kt ENEH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ftL 12:32 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.