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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot72
- Florida pompano68
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Crevalle jack66
- King mackerel66
- Summer flounder63
- Red drum61
- Spanish mackerel60
- Southern flounder57
- Gray snapper55
- Cobia50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Little tunny50
- Weakfish50
- Black sea bass49
- Gag grouper49
- Red snapper49
- Black drum48
- Red grouper48
- Spotted seatrout48
- Sheepshead44
- Greater amberjack43
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 665 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when New River Inlet 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
43Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
89Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
New River Inlet
- Depth
- 5-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · 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 New River Inlet
New River Inlet is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 5-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, cobia and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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
- Howard Bay77
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Florida pompano 67
9 kt EH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ftL 11:58 PM · 0.6 ft
- Shell Point71
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Florida pompano 62
9 kt EH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ftL 11:58 PM · 0.6 ft
- Cedar Point71
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Red drum 67
9 kt EH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ftL 11:58 PM · 0.6 ft
- Swan Point70
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 68
- Florida pompano 62
9 kt EH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ftL 11:58 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.