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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny71
- Weakfish69
- Bluefish68
- Florida pompano68
- Black sea bass67
- Red drum67
- Summer flounder64
- Gag grouper63
- Spot62
- Atlantic croaker61
- Striped bass61
- Sheepshead59
- Red snapper57
- Black drum56
- King mackerel55
- Crevalle jack53
- Greater amberjack52
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 5511 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Lookout Bight 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
Monday, Nov 9 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
44Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 13 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
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 little tunny, weakfish and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, bluefish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for summer flounder, spot, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish 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.
- 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.
- Weakfish
- Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Barden Inlet77
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 77
- Black sea bass 74
- Weakfish 74
10 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft
- Wreck Point74
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 74
- Bluefish 68
- Black sea bass 67
12 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft
- Catfish Point74
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 74
- Florida pompano 71
- Bluefish 69
12 kt NEH 1:05 PM · 4.4 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ft
- Blinds Hammock Bay72
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 72
- Florida pompano 70
- Weakfish 70
10 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.
