Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelOff season

Cape · North Carolina

Boranges Point

35.92°N · 75.91°W · Cape · Alligator River

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Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

80/100Great
Now
3511 AM EST
Best window
12-5 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 8 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score35Fair
Tide0.2 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward W
Wind3 kn Egusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.6 ft · 9 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water66°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here

Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
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Spanish mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Boranges Point

Depth
1-8 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Off seasonSpanish 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 Boranges Point

Boranges Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spotted seatrout and weakfish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, weakfish and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and striped bass. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Weakfish peak from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
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

  • Deer Creek

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    74
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 74
    • Red drum 73
    • Southern flounder 71

    6 kt NEH 4:58 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Broad Creek

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    72
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 72
    • Red drum 71
    • Southern flounder 71

    6 kt NEH 4:58 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Deep Bay

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    71
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 71
    • Weakfish 71
    • Red drum 69

    6 kt NEH 4:58 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Northeast Prong

    Bay · 3.3 mi

    71
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 71
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Red drum 68

    7 kt NEH 4:58 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 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.