Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Boranges Point

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

80/100Great
Now
413 AM EST
Best window
6-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 9 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score53Good
Tide0.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward W
Wind8 kn WNWgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 5 s
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherPartly cloudy31% cloud
Water65°FModel

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.

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

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Boranges Point

Depth
1-8 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 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 spotted seatrout, weakfish and little tunny. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, weakfish, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped bass. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Little tunny peak from October 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Deer Creek

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    72
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 72
    • Red drum 69
    • Southern flounder 68

    3 kt NEH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftL 11:20 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Broad Creek

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 69
    • Red drum 68
    • Southern flounder 68

    3 kt NEH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftL 11:20 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Deep Bay

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    69
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 69
    • Weakfish 67
    • Spot 66

    3 kt NEH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftL 11:20 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Northeast Prong

    Bay · 3.3 mi

    69
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 69
    • Weakfish 67
    • Atlantic croaker 65

    5 kt NNEH 4:03 AM · 0.4 ftL 11:20 AM · 0.2 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.