Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Stumpy Point

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

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Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

80/100Great
Now
392 AM EST
Best window
5-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 2 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score59Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward E
Wind6 kn NEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 3 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water64°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Stumpy Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder 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 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 25 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and little tunny. It is peak season now for little tunny, bluefish, southern flounder and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped bass. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from October through November.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    74
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 74
    • Southern flounder 69
    • Spotted seatrout 69

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    72
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 72
    • Spot 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Weakfish 65
    • Bluefish 64

    6 kt NEH 3:06 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    65
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 65
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Little tunny 64

    6 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 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.