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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spot69
- Atlantic croaker68
- Florida pompano67
- Little tunny60
- Red drum59
- Weakfish59
- Black sea bass57
- Bluefish56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Gag grouper53
- Summer flounder53
- Southern flounder52
- Black drum51
- Sheepshead51
- Striped bass50
- Red snapper46
- King mackerel41
- Crevalle jack40
- Greater amberjack37
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia29
Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 412 PM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High3.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Calico 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
Tuesday, Nov 3 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 64°F, coldLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
57Season: ShoulderHabitat: 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Calico Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Calico Bay
Calico Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, little tunny, red drum and weakfish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, summer flounder and black drum. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Crab Point Thorofare72
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 69
- Florida pompano 63
7 kt ENEL 8:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:27 AM · 3.3 ft
- Calico Creek70
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 68
7 kt ENEL 8:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:27 AM · 3.3 ft
- Crab Point Bay69
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Red drum 68
7 kt ENEL 8:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:27 AM · 3.3 ft
- Willis Point63
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Florida pompano 63
- Little tunny 63
7 kt ENEL 8:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:27 AM · 3.3 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.