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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot69
- Spotted seatrout66
- Red drum65
- Florida pompano62
- Weakfish62
- Southern flounder60
- Bluefish57
- Little tunny56
- Black sea bass55
- Black drum53
- Summer flounder53
- Gag grouper52
- Striped bass46
- Red snapper45
- Sheepshead45
- King mackerel42
- Crevalle jack41
- Greater amberjack37
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Gray snapper32
- Cobia31
- Spanish mackerel31
Best score today · 4 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 428 AM EST
- Best window
- 2-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Pitman Creek 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 3 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
92Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
49Water temp: 66°F, coldLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Near a majorSeason & 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
Pitman Creek
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Pitman Creek
Pitman Creek is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, 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, red drum, Florida pompano 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
- Hog Point73
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Spotted seatrout 73
- Little tunny 71
10 kt NNEL 11:02 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:42 PM · 0.3 ft
- Turnagain Bay73
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Spotted seatrout 73
- Weakfish 67
10 kt NNEL 11:02 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:42 PM · 0.3 ft
- Abraham Bay70
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 66
10 kt NNEL 12:48 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ft
- Turnagain Bay Spit70
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 70
- Spot 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
10 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.