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Spanish mackerelOff seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot74
- Florida pompano68
- Weakfish65
- Little tunny63
- Red drum60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Black sea bass59
- Bluefish58
- Black drum57
- Summer flounder57
- Gag grouper55
- Southern flounder55
- Sheepshead54
- Red snapper48
- Striped bass48
- Crevalle jack44
- King mackerel44
- Greater amberjack39
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia34
Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 354 PM EST
- Best window
- 4-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.5 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 13 · 4 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
91Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 4 kt SEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 65°F, coldLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
32Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: 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
Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 18 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Deep Bay
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, weakfish, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and summer flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
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
- Deer Creek74
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 74
- Atlantic croaker 73
- Weakfish 65
9 kt NEL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:08 AM · 0.4 ft
- Broad Creek74
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 74
- Weakfish 65
9 kt NEL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:08 AM · 0.4 ft
- Hooker Gut73
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Weakfish 64
9 kt NEL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:08 AM · 0.4 ft
- Northeast Prong70
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 66
9 kt NEL 10:19 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:08 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.