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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot62
- Crevalle jack61
- King mackerel58
- Gray snapper56
- Summer flounder56
- Red drum53
- Black drum50
- Black sea bass50
- Gag grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Gray triggerfish49
- Red grouper49
- Sheepshead49
- Spanish mackerel48
- Little tunny46
- Weakfish46
- Cobia44
- Florida pompano44
- Greater amberjack44
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 588 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy Cove 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
Thursday, Oct 1 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
83Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Sandy Cove
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Sandy Cove
Sandy Cove is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, 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 king mackerel, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, gag grouper and red snapper. 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
- Bellows Bay62
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Crevalle jack 61
16 kt NEL 11:36 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:46 AM · 3.4 ft
- Little Bellows Bay62
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Crevalle jack 61
16 kt NEL 11:36 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:46 AM · 3.4 ft
- Buck Island Bay61
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Crevalle jack 61
- Spot 61
16 kt NEL 11:36 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:46 AM · 3.4 ft
- Halfway Point58
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 58
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Crevalle jack 56
16 kt NEL 11:36 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:46 AM · 3.4 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.