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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Weakfish59
- Spotted seatrout58
- Red drum57
- Southern flounder57
- Bluefish54
- Florida pompano53
- Atlantic croaker52
- Little tunny52
- Spot52
- Black sea bass48
- Summer flounder48
- Black drum46
- Striped bass45
- Gag grouper44
- Sheepshead43
- Crevalle jack42
- King mackerel42
- Red snapper41
- Greater amberjack36
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia34
- Gray triggerfish32
- Red grouper32
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 421 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-9 AMDawn
Data from: ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Batchelor 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
Saturday, Nov 14 · 4 PM
- —
Tide & current
Wind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
97Light: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for King mackerel 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 King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 3 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Batchelor Bay
- Depth
- 8-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKing mackerel
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 Batchelor Bay
Batchelor Bay is a bay in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 8-10 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, spotted seatrout and red drum. It is peak season now for weakfish, spotted seatrout, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Weakfish peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
- 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.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Black Walnut Point56
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 56
- Bluefish 54
- Spotted seatrout 54
4 kt NE
- Reedy Point56
Cape · 6.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 56
- Bluefish 54
- Spotted seatrout 54
4 kt NE
- Cherry Point56
Cape · 7.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 56
- Bluefish 54
- Spotted seatrout 54
4 kt NE
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.