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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker82
- Spot79
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Summer flounder66
- Crevalle jack65
- Red drum65
- Gray snapper63
- King mackerel63
- Florida pompano62
- Black drum61
- Spotted seatrout61
- Southern flounder60
- Weakfish57
- Black sea bass56
- Spanish mackerel54
- Sheepshead53
- Gray triggerfish51
- Gag grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Red grouper49
- Cobia47
- Little tunny45
- Greater amberjack44
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 1 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 635 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Main Channel 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
41Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: 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
Main Channel
- Depth
- 1-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Main Channel
Main Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Banks Channel82
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 82
- Spot 79
- Atlantic tarpon 70
8 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Burthen Channel82
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 82
- Spot 79
- Atlantic tarpon 70
8 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Burden Channel82
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 82
- Spot 79
- Atlantic tarpon 70
8 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 ft
- Bank Channel80
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 68
8 kt NEL 11:56 PM · 0.6 ftH 5:46 AM · 2.1 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.