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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker59
- Spot59
- Atlantic tarpon57
- King mackerel57
- Southern flounder57
- Crevalle jack55
- Summer flounder55
- Red drum54
- Gray snapper53
- Spotted seatrout52
- Black drum51
- Florida pompano50
- Little tunny49
- Black sea bass48
- Gray triggerfish48
- Cobia47
- Gag grouper47
- Red grouper47
- Red snapper47
- Spanish mackerel47
- Sheepshead46
- Weakfish43
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 572 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rock Point 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
42Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: 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
Rock Point
- Depth
- 1-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Rock Point
Rock Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
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 king mackerel, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, little tunny and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Long Shoal Point66
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Southern flounderPeak season- Southern flounder 66
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic tarpon 63
7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Middle Ground66
Bar · 4.7 mi
Top: Southern flounderPeak season- Southern flounder 66
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic tarpon 63
7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Sandy Point Shoal61
Bar · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 61
- Summer flounder 61
7 kt EH 8:04 PM · 0.5 ftL 2:24 AM · 0.4 ft
- Lewis Point59
Cape · 4.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Spot 59
- King mackerel 57
7 kt EH 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.