UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot75
- Crevalle jack73
- Red drum70
- King mackerel67
- Southern flounder67
- Summer flounder66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Gray snapper64
- Spotted seatrout63
- Florida pompano59
- Black drum58
- Black sea bass58
- Gray triggerfish58
- Red snapper58
- Cobia57
- Gag grouper57
- Red grouper57
- Weakfish57
- Spanish mackerel56
- Sheepshead54
- Greater amberjack52
- Little tunny51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 564 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.2 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
75Wind: 12 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.3 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
46Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Little Creek
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpanish 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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 Bay75
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 72
12 kt ENEH 8:33 PM · 0.3 ftL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ft
- Cedar Bay Point71
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 70
12 kt ENEH 8:33 PM · 0.3 ftL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ft
- Westward Point70
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 67
12 kt ENEH 8:33 PM · 0.3 ftL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ft
- Mulberry Point70
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 67
12 kt ENEH 8:33 PM · 0.3 ftL 3:33 AM · 0.2 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.