Waterlands

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King mackerelPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Broad Creek Point

35.85°N · 75.62°W · Cape · Croatan and Roanoke Sounds

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel

50/100Good
Now
354 AM EDT
Best window
4 AM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind18 kn NNEgusts 34 · steady
Sea stateRough5.5 ft · 7 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy72% chance of rain
Water78°FObserved

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

Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak

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

King mackerel in North Carolina

Spot profile

Broad Creek Point

Depth
1-10 ftNearest water
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 Broad Creek Point

Broad Creek Point is a cape in Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, Florida pompano and red snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red snapper, black drum and black sea bass. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Red snapper peak from May through August.

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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Red snapper
Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Roanoke Sound

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    35
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 35
    • King mackerel 35
    • Red snapper 35

    18 kt NNEH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:47 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Roanoke Sound Channel

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Florida pompano 35
    • King mackerel 35

    18 kt NNEH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:47 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Oyster Creek

    Gut · 2.6 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Crevalle jack 35
    • Gray snapper 35

    18 kt NNEH 7:40 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:47 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Rockhall Creek

    Gut · 2.6 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30
    • Black sea bass 30

    28 kt NNEH 5:34 AM · 3.4 ftL 11:32 AM · 1.3 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.