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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot71
- Crevalle jack70
- Red drum67
- King mackerel66
- Summer flounder66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Spotted seatrout64
- Gray snapper62
- Southern flounder62
- Black drum60
- Black sea bass59
- Florida pompano59
- Gag grouper58
- Gray triggerfish58
- Red grouper58
- Red snapper58
- Sheepshead55
- Cobia54
- Spanish mackerel54
- Weakfish54
- Greater amberjack52
- Little tunny51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 662 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2-8 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding2.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Whale Head Bay 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Whale Head Bay
- Depth
- 2-3 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 Whale Head Bay
Whale Head Bay is a bay in Currituck Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-3 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 red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, Florida pompano and gag grouper. 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
- Whole Head Bay71
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Crevalle jack 70
9 kt EH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- Sanders Bay71
Bay · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Crevalle jack 71
- Spot 71
9 kt EH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- Raccoon Bay70
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Crevalle jack 70
- Spot 70
11 kt EH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 ft
- Ships Bay70
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Crevalle jack 70
- Spot 70
11 kt EH 5:11 PM · 3.6 ftL 11:29 PM · 0.9 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.