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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker63
- Spot62
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Crevalle jack60
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel58
- Gray snapper57
- Red drum56
- Florida pompano55
- Southern flounder55
- Black drum53
- Spanish mackerel51
- Sheepshead50
- Cobia49
- Gray triggerfish49
- Black sea bass48
- Red snapper48
- Gag grouper47
- Red grouper47
- Spotted seatrout47
- Little tunny44
- Weakfish44
- Greater amberjack43
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 581 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Lighthouse 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
45Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
75Season: 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
Lighthouse Bay
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Lighthouse Bay
Lighthouse Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Barden Inlet76
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 73
- Spot 73
7 kt ENEH 3:53 PM · 4.0 ftL 10:28 PM · 1.5 ft
- Blinds Hammock Bay73
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Crevalle jack 70
7 kt ENEH 3:53 PM · 4.0 ftL 10:28 PM · 1.5 ft
- Barden Inlet69
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Spot 65
7 kt ENEH 6:23 PM · 1.8 ftL 1:35 AM · 0.8 ft
- Sheep Island Slue69
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Spot 65
7 kt ENEH 6:23 PM · 1.8 ftL 1:35 AM · 0.8 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.