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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot66
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Southern flounder63
- Crevalle jack61
- Summer flounder61
- Red drum60
- Gray snapper59
- King mackerel58
- Black drum56
- Florida pompano56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Cobia53
- Spanish mackerel52
- Sheepshead51
- Gray triggerfish49
- Black sea bass48
- Gag grouper48
- Red snapper48
- Weakfish48
- Red grouper47
- Little tunny45
- Greater amberjack43
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 522 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 4 kt NNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
57Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Deep Bay
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 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 southern flounder, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, cobia and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Hooker Gut69
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 66
- Southern flounder 64
6 kt ESEH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Deer Creek67
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Southern flounderPeak season- Southern flounder 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Red drum 65
7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Broad Creek67
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Southern flounderPeak season- Southern flounder 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Northeast Prong66
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 65
- Crevalle jack 61
6 kt ESEH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 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.