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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot69
- Weakfish63
- Florida pompano60
- Red drum60
- Black sea bass59
- Spotted seatrout57
- Southern flounder55
- Black drum54
- Summer flounder52
- Bluefish51
- Little tunny50
- Striped bass50
- Gag grouper49
- Sheepshead49
- Red snapper46
- King mackerel37
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Crevalle jack35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Greater amberjack34
- Spanish mackerel26
- Cobia20
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 371 AM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High2.1 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sanders 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
22Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 7 kt NNEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
33Water temp: 65°F, coldLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
58Season: ShoulderHabitat: 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
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sanders Creek
- Depth
- Up to 3 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 Sanders Creek
Sanders Creek is a gut in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is up to 3 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 weakfish. It is peak season now for weakfish, Florida pompano, red drum and black sea bass, 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. Weakfish peak 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
- Browns Inlet72
Channel · 3.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Florida pompano 69
- Spot 69
8 kt NNEL 7:08 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:40 PM · 3.5 ft
- Cow Channel70
Channel · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 67
- Weakfish 61
7 kt NNEL 7:06 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ft
- Bear Inlet69
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Florida pompano 66
8 kt NNEL 7:06 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:37 PM · 2.6 ft
- Browns Sound69
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Florida pompano 67
8 kt NNEL 7:08 AM · 0.4 ftH 1:40 PM · 3.5 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.