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Gag grouperShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker64
- Spot61
- Florida pompano57
- Crevalle jack55
- Atlantic tarpon54
- King mackerel53
- Red drum51
- Gray snapper48
- Summer flounder48
- Spanish mackerel46
- Black sea bass44
- Black drum43
- Little tunny42
- Gray triggerfish39
- Red snapper39
- Gag grouper38
- Red grouper38
- Sheepshead37
- Cobia36
- Weakfish36
- Bluefish35
- Greater amberjack33
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 386 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Whalebone Inlet 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
43Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
43Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.2 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
Whalebone Inlet
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · ProtectedInlet · 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 Whalebone Inlet
Whalebone Inlet is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and protected.
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 Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and black drum. 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
- 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
- Merkle Hammock65
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 65
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 62
12 kt ENEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft
- High Hills Inlet64
Channel · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 61
- Florida pompano 57
18 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft
- Royal Point Bay63
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 63
- Florida pompano 57
18 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ft
- Daniel Swash61
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 60
- Crevalle jack 52
18 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.