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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot73
- Florida pompano71
- Atlantic tarpon69
- King mackerel68
- Summer flounder68
- Crevalle jack67
- Gray snapper65
- Red drum65
- Spanish mackerel65
- Black drum62
- Southern flounder61
- Spotted seatrout59
- Gray triggerfish56
- Little tunny56
- Black sea bass55
- Gag grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Red grouper54
- Weakfish54
- Cobia53
- Sheepshead52
- Greater amberjack51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 655 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Drum Shoals 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
68Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Drum Shoals
- Depth
- 2-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Drum Shoals
Drum Shoals is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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
- Hoop Pole Creek83
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 83
- Spot 79
- Atlantic tarpon 77
8 kt ESEH 6:18 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.8 ft
- Bogue Shores80
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 79
- Atlantic tarpon 74
8 kt ESEH 6:18 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.8 ft
- Money Island Bay80
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 79
- Florida pompano 69
8 kt ESEH 5:19 PM · 2.6 ftL 12:03 AM · 0.8 ft
- Calico Creek80
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 79
- Atlantic tarpon 67
8 kt ESEL 11:11 PM · 1.1 ftH 5:07 AM · 3.0 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.