Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Spanish mackerelShoulder season

Gut · North Carolina

Little Narrows

36.28°N · 75.87°W · Gut · Currituck Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 2 AM · Spanish mackerel

66/100Great
Now
3510 AM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Little Narrows scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind17 kn NEgusts 33 · steady
Sea stateRough4.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast64% chance of rain
Water78°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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

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

Little Narrows

Depth
About 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Little Narrows

Little Narrows is a gut in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, crevalle jack and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, gray snapper, king mackerel and summer flounder, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Florida pompano, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.

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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • The Hammock

    Channel · 0.1 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Crevalle jack 35
    • Florida pompano 35

    17 kt NEL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:54 PM · 3.7 ft

  • Sheep Pen Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35
    • Crevalle jack 35

    17 kt NEL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:54 PM · 3.7 ft

  • Big Narrows

    Gut · 1.0 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Crevalle jack 35
    • Florida pompano 35

    17 kt NEL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:54 PM · 3.7 ft

  • Gallop Shoal

    Bar · 1.1 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35
    • Crevalle jack 35

    17 kt NEL 11:31 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:54 PM · 3.7 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.