Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Spanish mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Pig Point

36.11°N · 75.80°W · Cape · Currituck Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 1 AM · Spanish mackerel

69/100Great
Now
454 PM EDT
Best window
4-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.5 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Pig Point 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 · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score45Good
Tide3.5 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind11 kn ENEgusts 26 · building
Sea stateModerate2.7 ft · 5 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherOvercast87% chance of rain
Water80°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.

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

Pig Point

Depth
1-2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Pig Point

Pig Point is a cape in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and gag grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.

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

  • Albemarle Sound

    Bay · 4.8 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 67
    • King mackerel 65

    11 kt ENEH 5:10 PM · 3.7 ftL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Sampson Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Spot 61
    • King mackerel 59

    11 kt ENEH 5:10 PM · 3.7 ftL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Long Point

    Cape · 6.0 mi

    59
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • Spot 59
    • King mackerel 58

    11 kt ENEH 5:10 PM · 3.7 ftL 11:31 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Shellbank Point

    Cape · 5.0 mi

    58
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Spot 58
    • King mackerel 57

    11 kt ENEH 5:10 PM · 3.7 ftL 11:31 PM · 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.