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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot68
- Florida pompano62
- Crevalle jack60
- Atlantic tarpon56
- Gray snapper55
- King mackerel55
- Red drum54
- Summer flounder53
- Spanish mackerel50
- Black drum48
- Southern flounder48
- Spotted seatrout48
- Black sea bass46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red snapper46
- Gag grouper45
- Little tunny45
- Red grouper45
- Sheepshead45
- Cobia41
- Greater amberjack41
- Weakfish41
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 558 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Eastmouth 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
26Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Eastmouth Bay
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Eastmouth Bay
Eastmouth Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. 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
- 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.
- 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
- Henry Jones Creek68
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
- Crevalle jack 60
12 kt NEL 2:15 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:25 AM · 1.6 ft
- Sandy Point65
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
- Florida pompano 59
12 kt NEL 2:15 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:25 AM · 1.6 ft
- White Point64
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 64
- Red drum 60
12 kt NEL 2:15 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:25 AM · 1.6 ft
- Wading Point63
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 63
- Florida pompano 58
12 kt NEL 2:12 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:41 AM · 1.5 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.