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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Weakfish75
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot73
- Red drum70
- Southern flounder69
- Spotted seatrout69
- Little tunny68
- Black drum67
- Black sea bass67
- Bluefish67
- Florida pompano64
- Sheepshead63
- Summer flounder63
- Gag grouper62
- Red snapper59
- Striped bass57
- Crevalle jack50
- King mackerel49
- Greater amberjack47
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4912 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-8 AMEbb 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 3 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
72Wind: 11 kt NWPressure: Rising fastWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
18Water temp: 66°F, coldLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: 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 weakfish, Atlantic croaker and spot. It is peak season now for weakfish, red drum, southern flounder and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and sheepshead. Weakfish peak from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Hooker Gut78
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 78
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
8 kt NNEH 1:14 AM · 0.4 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ft
- Deer Creek75
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 75
- Red drum 74
- Southern flounder 73
4 kt NNEH 1:14 AM · 0.4 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ft
- Broad Creek75
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 75
- Atlantic croaker 73
- Southern flounder 73
4 kt NNEH 1:14 AM · 0.4 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ft
- Northeast Prong75
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 75
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
8 kt NNEH 1:14 AM · 0.4 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.2 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.