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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny76
- Weakfish75
- Red drum74
- Bluefish73
- Black sea bass71
- Summer flounder70
- Atlantic croaker67
- Gag grouper67
- Spot67
- Striped bass67
- Sheepshead64
- Florida pompano62
- Black drum61
- King mackerel60
- Red snapper60
- Crevalle jack58
- Greater amberjack57
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 606 PM EST
- Best window
- 6-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + 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
Saturday, Nov 14 · 1 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
4Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
49Season: 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 today
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 red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, red drum and bluefish, and shoulder season for summer flounder, Atlantic croaker, spot and striped bass. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. 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.
- 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
- Wreck Point80
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 80
- Bluefish 73
- Black sea bass 71
9 kt EL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:43 AM · 4.1 ft
- Catfish Point80
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 80
- Bluefish 75
- Black sea bass 71
9 kt EL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:43 AM · 4.1 ft
- Barden Inlet80
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 80
- Bluefish 77
- Weakfish 77
10 kt ENEL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:43 AM · 4.1 ft
- Blinds Hammock Bay75
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 75
- Red drum 74
- Weakfish 74
10 kt ENEL 7:42 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:43 AM · 4.1 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.
