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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny72
- Weakfish72
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot69
- Black sea bass67
- Red drum67
- Southern flounder67
- Spotted seatrout67
- Bluefish66
- Black drum65
- Summer flounder64
- Gag grouper63
- Sheepshead63
- Florida pompano56
- Red snapper56
- Striped bass56
- Crevalle jack52
- King mackerel51
- Greater amberjack47
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 518 AM EST
- Best window
- 11 AM-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.2 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, Nov 2 · 6 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
76Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 63°F, coldLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
58Season: ShoulderHabitat: 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
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 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 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 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, black sea bass and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and summer flounder. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Hooker Gut75
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 75
- Black sea bass 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
9 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft
- Deer Creek72
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Southern flounder 72
- Weakfish 72
5 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft
- Broad Creek72
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Southern flounderPeak season- Southern flounder 72
- Weakfish 72
- Red drum 70
5 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northeast Prong72
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 72
- Little tunny 71
- Spot 69
9 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 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.