Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Humphrey Point

34.69°N · 77.02°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

78/100Great
Now
447 AM EST
Best window
3-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.4 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score44Fair
Tide0.4 ftLow
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind7 kn NNEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 5 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water66°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 · 4 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Humphrey Point

Depth
3-5 ftNearest water
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 Humphrey Point

Humphrey 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 semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, bluefish and weakfish. It is peak season now for little tunny, bluefish, weakfish and black sea bass, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and summer flounder. Little tunny peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. Weakfish peak 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.
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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Guthrie Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Bluefish 59
    • Weakfish 58

    7 kt NNEH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ftL 8:11 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Taylor Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Spotted seatrout 63
    • Weakfish 63

    7 kt NNEH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ftL 8:11 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Sanders Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Bluefish 59
    • Weakfish 58

    7 kt NNEH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ftL 8:11 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Goose Creek Shoals

    Bar · 0.6 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Florida pompano 62
    • Bluefish 60

    7 kt NNEH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ftL 8:11 PM · 0.4 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.