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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel64
- Gray snapper61
- Red snapper61
- Red drum59
- Black sea bass57
- Gag grouper57
- Gray triggerfish57
- Atlantic croaker56
- Red grouper56
- Spot56
- Summer flounder55
- Crevalle jack54
- Black drum51
- Greater amberjack51
- Sheepshead48
- Spanish mackerel48
- Florida pompano47
- Little tunny44
- Cobia41
- Weakfish40
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6410 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Grays Rock 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 · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
67Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
65Wind: 14 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 3.3 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
98Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: 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
Grays Rock
- Depth
- 5-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Grays Rock
Grays Rock is a bar in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 5-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, gray snapper and red snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for red snapper, black sea bass, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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
- Long Point Pond63
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 63
- Red drum 62
13 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Williams Slough62
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Crevalle jack 59
14 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Thorofare58
Gut · 1.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 58
- Gray snapper 58
- Summer flounder 55
13 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 ft
- Wells Bay58
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 58
- King mackerel 54
- Gray snapper 53
13 kt NEL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:39 AM · 3.2 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.