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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot70
- Florida pompano68
- Crevalle jack67
- King mackerel67
- Summer flounder65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Gray snapper63
- Black drum62
- Red drum62
- Spanish mackerel62
- Gray triggerfish58
- Black sea bass57
- Gag grouper57
- Little tunny57
- Red snapper57
- Red grouper56
- Southern flounder56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Sheepshead53
- Greater amberjack52
- Cobia50
- Weakfish50
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 677 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Goose Creek 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
60Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: 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
Goose Creek Shoals
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Goose Creek Shoals
Goose Creek Shoals is a bar in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 3-5 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, crevalle jack and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel 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
- 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
- Taylor Bay76
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 72
7 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Guthrie Point70
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 67
7 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Humphrey Point70
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 67
7 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Archer Point70
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 67
7 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 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.