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Gag grouperShoulder seasonBay · South Carolina
Long Bay
33.59°N · 78.96°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- King mackerel68
- Crevalle jack67
- Florida pompano65
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Summer flounder61
- Red drum60
- Gray snapper57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Black sea bass54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Mahi-mahi53
- Red snapper53
- Gag grouper52
- Red grouper52
- Little tunny49
- Weakfish49
- Black drum48
- Greater amberjack48
- Southern flounder48
- Cobia47
- Sheepshead46
- Wahoo45
- Spotted seatrout42
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 525 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding5.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Long Bay 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
73Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.5 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.
Source: SCDNR · 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
Long Bay
- Depth
- 25-30 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · 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 Long Bay
Long Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Little River Inlet to Murrells Inlet SC out 20 NM, South Carolina. Depth is 25-30 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
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.
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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.