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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot74
- Crevalle jack70
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Gray snapper66
- Red drum66
- Summer flounder66
- King mackerel64
- Black drum62
- Southern flounder62
- Spotted seatrout62
- Sheepshead59
- Spanish mackerel58
- Black sea bass57
- Cobia57
- Gray triggerfish57
- Red snapper57
- Gag grouper56
- Red grouper56
- Little tunny55
- Weakfish55
- Florida pompano51
- Greater amberjack51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6412 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 3 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
97Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: 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 today
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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, sheepshead, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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 Creek74
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 70
9 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Broad Creek74
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 70
9 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Hooker Gut73
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 67
10 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northeast Prong69
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 67
10 kt ENEL 2:24 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:03 PM · 0.5 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.