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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot73
- Red drum70
- Crevalle jack66
- Southern flounder66
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Spotted seatrout64
- Gray snapper62
- Summer flounder61
- King mackerel60
- Black drum56
- Red snapper56
- Weakfish56
- Black sea bass53
- Cobia53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Gag grouper52
- Red grouper52
- Sheepshead50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Florida pompano48
- Greater amberjack48
- Little tunny45
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6011 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Little Creek 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 · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
72Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.3 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
Little Creek
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Little Creek
Little Creek is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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
- Cedar Bay73
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 72
- Spot 72
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cedar Bay Point72
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Atlantic croaker 68
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Westward Point68
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
- Atlantic tarpon 64
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Mulberry Point68
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
- Atlantic tarpon 64
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 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.