Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Cedar Point

34.55°N · 77.34°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

77/100Great
Now
5110 AM EST
Best window
4-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.8 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 6 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score56Good
Tide2.9 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward E
Wind7 kn Sgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.1 ft · 7 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast95% cloud
Water69°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 · 3 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Cedar Point

Depth
3-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, black sea bass and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, red drum and bluefish, and shoulder season for summer flounder, black drum, Atlantic croaker and spot. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Red drum peak from August 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.
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

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Bluefish 66

    7 kt NEH 2:45 PM · 3.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Howard Bay

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    69
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Little tunny 68

    7 kt NEH 2:45 PM · 3.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Traps Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Little tunny 68

    7 kt NEH 2:45 PM · 3.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Mile Hammock Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Little tunny 68

    7 kt NEH 2:45 PM · 3.4 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.3 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.