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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spot73
- Weakfish73
- Atlantic croaker72
- Little tunny71
- Black sea bass69
- Florida pompano68
- Red drum68
- Spotted seatrout68
- Bluefish66
- Black drum65
- Gag grouper65
- Summer flounder65
- Sheepshead64
- Southern flounder64
- Red snapper58
- Striped bass56
- Crevalle jack54
- King mackerel54
- Greater amberjack49
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 543 PM EST
- Best window
- 3-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 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, Nov 6 · 4 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
76Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 2 kt SEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 66°F, coldLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
54Season: 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 spot, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for weakfish, little tunny, black sea bass and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and summer flounder. Spot peak from September through October. 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Broad Creek74
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 74
- Spot 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
9 kt NEH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ftL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ft
- Deer Creek73
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Spot 73
- Weakfish 73
9 kt NEH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ftL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ft
- Hooker Gut73
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 73
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Black sea bass 71
10 kt NEH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ftL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ft
- Northeast Prong69
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
10 kt NEH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ftL 10:19 PM · 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.