Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Stumpy Point

35.76°N · 75.99°W · Cape · Alligator River

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Best score today · 5 PM · Spanish mackerel

74/100Great
Now
492 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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score49Good
Tide0.3 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NNE
Wind6 kn SEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 6 s
Air temp85°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy59% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in North Carolina

Spot profile

Stumpy Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Stumpy Point

Stumpy Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 2-8 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, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. 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

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Spot 71
    • Crevalle jack 66

    6 kt SEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 70
    • Crevalle jack 67

    6 kt SEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    62
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 62
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    6 kt SEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Spot 61
    • King mackerel 59

    6 kt SEH 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.