Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Bay · North Carolina

Lookout Bight

34.62°N · 76.53°W · Bay · Neuse and Bay Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel

75/100Great
Now
4910 AM EST
Best window
4-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.7 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score58Good
Tide1.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward W
Wind8 kn ENEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.6 ft · 7 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherClear17% cloud
Water65°FBias corrected

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

Lookout Bight

Depth
5-15 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 Lookout Bight

Lookout Bight is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for black sea bass, little tunny, bluefish and gag grouper, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, sheepshead and summer flounder. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Barden Inlet

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    74
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Little tunny 72
    • Bluefish 70

    10 kt NNEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Blinds Hammock Bay

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    69
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Little tunny 68
    • Bluefish 66

    10 kt NNEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Wreck Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Bluefish 63

    13 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Catfish Point

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Bluefish 64

    13 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 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.