Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Gray triggerfishShoulder season

Gut · North Carolina

Zack Creek

34.71°N · 76.47°W · Gut · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Gray triggerfish

83/100Great
Now
476 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High1.7 ft

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

Notify me when Zack Creek scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score47Good
Tide1.7 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind7 kn ESEgusts 13 · easing
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy41% cloud
Water81°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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in North Carolina

Spot profile

Zack Creek

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Zack Creek

Zack Creek is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, 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 Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

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

  • Horsepen Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    82
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 82
    • Red drum 80
    • Southern flounder 76

    7 kt ESEH 7:26 PM · 1.4 ftL 2:18 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Codds Creek

    Gut · 1.3 mi

    81
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 81
    • Spot 77
    • Atlantic tarpon 68

    7 kt ESEL 1:35 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:39 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Try Yard Creek

    Gut · 1.5 mi

    81
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 81
    • Spot 77
    • Atlantic tarpon 68

    7 kt ESEL 1:35 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:39 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Mullet Cove

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 77
    • Spot 76
    • Florida pompano 65

    7 kt ESEL 1:35 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:39 AM · 1.4 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.