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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny66
- Black sea bass63
- Bluefish63
- Florida pompano63
- Gag grouper59
- Striped bass58
- Red drum56
- Summer flounder56
- Weakfish56
- Black drum54
- Red snapper53
- Spot53
- Atlantic croaker52
- Sheepshead50
- King mackerel48
- Greater amberjack43
- Crevalle jack40
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Cobia25
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 488 AM EST
- Best window
- 5-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Catfish Point 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
Sunday, Nov 8 · 11 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 9 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
53Season: 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
Catfish Point
- Depth
- 4-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Catfish Point
Catfish Point is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, bluefish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for striped bass, summer flounder, black drum and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.
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.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Barden Inlet74
Channel · 1.8 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 74
- Little tunny 73
- Weakfish 71
9 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft
- Cape Point67
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Bluefish 66
- Black sea bass 64
15 kt NEH 1:02 PM · 4.1 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.5 ft
- Wreck Point66
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Black sea bass 63
- Bluefish 61
15 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft
- Lookout Bight63
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 63
- Little tunny 62
- Weakfish 62
15 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 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.
