Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Tom Mann Creek

35.97°N · 75.89°W · Bay · Albemarle Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

79/100Great
Now
445 PM EST
Best window
5-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High0.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score48Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind3 kn SEgusts 11 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear18% cloud
Water64°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Tom Mann Creek

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Tom Mann Creek

Tom Mann Creek is a bay in Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, southern flounder and weakfish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, summer flounder and black drum. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • The Frying Pan

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    73
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 73
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spotted seatrout 71

    6 kt ENEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Haulover Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    71
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Red drum 68
    • Spot 68

    6 kt ENEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Ned Bees Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    68
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Little tunny 66

    5 kt NEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Sound Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    68
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Little tunny 66

    5 kt NEL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ftH 4:03 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.