UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Spot68
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Red drum66
- Spotted seatrout65
- Southern flounder64
- Gray snapper61
- Crevalle jack59
- Summer flounder58
- Black drum57
- King mackerel56
- Florida pompano53
- Weakfish53
- Cobia50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Red snapper49
- Sheepshead48
- Gray triggerfish46
- Black sea bass45
- Gag grouper45
- Red grouper45
- Little tunny43
- Greater amberjack40
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 562 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Deep 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
Wednesday, Sep 30 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 7 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
95Water temp: 74°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: 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
Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Deep Bay
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Deep Bay
Deep Bay is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, weakfish and cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Deer Creek71
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Southern flounder 69
- Spotted seatrout 68
5 kt SWH 4:41 AM · 0.4 ftL 1:27 PM · 0.3 ft
- Hooker Gut71
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Red drum 69
3 kt SWH 4:41 AM · 0.4 ftL 1:27 PM · 0.3 ft
- Broad Creek69
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Southern flounder 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
5 kt SWH 4:41 AM · 0.4 ftL 1:27 PM · 0.3 ft
- Northeast Prong67
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt SWH 4:41 AM · 0.4 ftL 1:27 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.