Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Sandy Point

34.70°N · 76.52°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

84/100Great
Now
563 PM EST
Best window
6-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.7 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score45Good
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward W
Wind10 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy69% cloud
Water66°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 · 3 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Sandy Point

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · 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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, bluefish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Bluefish 70

    10 kt ENEH 4:21 PM · 1.9 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Henry Jones Creek

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Spotted seatrout 73
    • Black sea bass 71

    10 kt ENEH 4:21 PM · 1.9 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ft

  • White Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    76
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 76
    • Red drum 76
    • Spotted seatrout 73

    10 kt ENEH 4:21 PM · 1.9 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Eastmouth Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Red drum 72
    • Weakfish 72

    10 kt ENEH 4:21 PM · 1.9 ftL 11:27 PM · 0.3 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.