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Spanish mackerelOff seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot70
- Red drum68
- Weakfish68
- Spotted seatrout67
- Black sea bass66
- Florida pompano66
- Little tunny64
- Southern flounder61
- Summer flounder61
- Black drum60
- Striped bass59
- Bluefish58
- Gag grouper57
- Sheepshead56
- Red snapper50
- King mackerel47
- Crevalle jack46
- Greater amberjack43
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia28
Best score today · 5 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 352 PM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Beaufort Channel 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
Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 2.0 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 7 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 65°F, coldLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
30Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Beaufort Channel
- Depth
- 3-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Beaufort Channel
Beaufort Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 3-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for red drum, weakfish, spotted seatrout and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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
- Beaufort Inlet73
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Florida pompano 72
- Little tunny 72
7 kt ENEL 8:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:10 AM · 3.2 ft
- Morehead City Channel73
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 70
- Red drum 66
7 kt ENEL 8:14 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:20 AM · 3.1 ft
- Bird Shoal72
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Red drum 70
- Little tunny 68
7 kt ENEL 8:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:10 AM · 3.2 ft
- Carrot Island Channel72
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Red drum 65
7 kt ENEH 2:16 PM · 3.4 ftL 8:44 PM · 0.5 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.