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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot70
- Spotted seatrout69
- Little tunny68
- Red drum68
- Weakfish68
- Florida pompano66
- Southern flounder65
- Bluefish63
- Black sea bass62
- Black drum60
- Summer flounder59
- Gag grouper58
- Sheepshead58
- Striped bass55
- Red snapper51
- Crevalle jack47
- King mackerel47
- Greater amberjack43
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 479 AM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mason Bay 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 3 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Mason Bay
- Depth
- 2-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Mason Bay
Mason Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, little tunny, red drum and weakfish, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and summer flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Spotted seatrout peak from September 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.
- 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
- Mason Point71
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 71
- Spot 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
6 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft
- Swan Point71
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 71
- Spot 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
6 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft
- Chapel Creek Point71
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 71
- Spot 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
6 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft
- Swindell Bay70
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Spotted seatrout 69
6 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 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.