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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot75
- Crevalle jack70
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Florida pompano67
- Red drum66
- Summer flounder66
- Gray snapper64
- King mackerel63
- Black drum60
- Southern flounder60
- Spanish mackerel60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Black sea bass58
- Weakfish56
- Sheepshead55
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red snapper53
- Gag grouper52
- Red grouper52
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack47
- Little tunny47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 634 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Narrows 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
54Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & 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 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
Big Narrows
- Depth
- 2-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Big Narrows
Big Narrows is a gut in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- The Hammock77
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 67
9 kt ENEH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- Little Narrows77
Gut · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 70
9 kt ENEH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- Lone Oak Channel75
Gut · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 72
- Crevalle jack 65
9 kt ENEH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- Sheep Pen Point68
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
- King mackerel 63
9 kt ENEH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 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.