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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot74
- Crevalle jack72
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Southern flounder70
- Gray snapper69
- Red drum68
- Summer flounder68
- King mackerel66
- Florida pompano63
- Spotted seatrout63
- Black drum62
- Sheepshead60
- Spanish mackerel60
- Cobia59
- Gray triggerfish58
- Black sea bass57
- Gag grouper57
- Red snapper57
- Red grouper56
- Little tunny55
- Weakfish55
- Greater amberjack53
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 663 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
83Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 Florida pompano, black drum, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel. 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
- Hooker Gut78
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 71
6 kt ESEH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Deer Creek75
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Southern flounder 74
- Spot 74
7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Broad Creek75
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Southern flounder 75
- Spot 75
7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Northeast Prong74
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 71
6 kt ESEH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 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.