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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker79
- Spot77
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Crevalle jack69
- Southern flounder68
- Gray snapper67
- Red drum67
- Florida pompano65
- Summer flounder64
- Spotted seatrout63
- King mackerel62
- Spanish mackerel61
- Black drum60
- Sheepshead55
- Gray triggerfish54
- Little tunny54
- Weakfish54
- Black sea bass53
- Cobia53
- Gag grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Red grouper52
- Greater amberjack48
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 618 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Georgia 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
59Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt WNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
91Water temp: 82°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
59Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Georgia Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Georgia Bay
Georgia Bay is a bay in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Stumpy Creek Bay79
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 79
- Atlantic tarpon 72
3 kt WNWL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ft
- Tuckahoe Point73
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt WNWL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ft
- Bear Point73
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt WNWL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ft
- Cypress Point73
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Southern flounder 73
- Spot 73
3 kt WNWL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:46 PM · 0.7 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.