Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelOff season

Cape · North Carolina

Long Point

36.25°N · 75.85°W · Cape · Currituck Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

79/100Great
Now
282 AM EST
Best window
4-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 15 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score35Fair
Tide1.7 ft ▲Flooding
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 22 · steady
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water64°FPersisted

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

Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Long Point

Depth
1-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Off 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 Long Point

Long Point is a cape in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, weakfish, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and striped bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
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

  • Jarvis Channel

    Gut · 1.8 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 68
    • Weakfish 68

    3 kt NEH 2:20 AM · 3.4 ftL 8:22 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Poplar Branch Bay

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    67
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 67
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spotted seatrout 65

    3 kt NEH 2:20 AM · 3.4 ftL 8:22 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Dowdy Bay

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    67
    Top: SpotShoulder season
    • Spot 67
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Spotted seatrout 65

    3 kt NEH 2:20 AM · 3.4 ftL 8:22 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Stumpy Cove

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    67
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 67
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Red drum 66

    3 kt NEH 2:20 AM · 3.4 ftL 8:22 AM · 0.7 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.