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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot62
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Red drum59
- Southern flounder58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Gray snapper55
- Crevalle jack53
- Summer flounder51
- Black drum50
- King mackerel48
- Weakfish46
- Florida pompano45
- Cobia43
- Red snapper43
- Sheepshead43
- Spanish mackerel43
- Black sea bass40
- Gray triggerfish40
- Gag grouper39
- Little tunny39
- Red grouper39
- Bluefish35
- Greater amberjack34
Best score today · 7 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 482 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Low0.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Stumpy Creek 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 · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
22Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 3 kt SSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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 yesterday
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
Stumpy Creek Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 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 Stumpy Creek Bay
Stumpy Creek 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 red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, weakfish, Florida pompano and cobia. 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
- Cypress Point63
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Southern flounder 61
- Spotted seatrout 61
3 kt SSWH 6:52 AM · 0.6 ftL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- Bear Point57
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 57
- Atlantic tarpon 56
3 kt SSWH 6:52 AM · 0.6 ftL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- Newport News Point57
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 57
- Atlantic tarpon 56
3 kt SSWH 6:52 AM · 0.6 ftL 1:02 PM · 0.3 ft
- Tuckahoe Point57
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Atlantic tarpon 56
- Red drum 55
3 kt SSWH 6:52 AM · 0.6 ftL 1:02 PM · 0.3 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.