UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot65
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Crevalle jack62
- Southern flounder61
- Red drum60
- Gray snapper59
- King mackerel58
- Summer flounder58
- Spotted seatrout57
- Florida pompano55
- Black drum54
- Spanish mackerel54
- Cobia49
- Sheepshead49
- Weakfish49
- Black sea bass48
- Gray triggerfish48
- Little tunny48
- Gag grouper47
- Red snapper47
- Red grouper46
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 588 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Moore 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
20Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 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 yesterday
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
Moore Bay
- Depth
- 4-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Moore Bay
Moore Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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 crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and cobia. 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
- Newton Creek66
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Southern flounder 65
- Spot 65
6 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Powers Point61
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 60
- Atlantic tarpon 59
6 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Harper Point61
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 60
- Atlantic tarpon 59
6 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Lambert Point61
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Spot 60
- Atlantic tarpon 59
6 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 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.