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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny63
- Black sea bass57
- Bluefish57
- Red drum56
- Gag grouper53
- Striped bass52
- Weakfish48
- Atlantic croaker47
- Florida pompano47
- Sheepshead47
- Spot47
- Black drum46
- Red snapper46
- Summer flounder46
- Greater amberjack40
- King mackerel39
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Crevalle jack33
- Gray snapper30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Spanish mackerel29
- Atlantic tarpon23
- Cobia22
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 3911 AM EST
- Best window
- 1-5 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy Point 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
Tuesday, Nov 17 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
93Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 2 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
40Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
44Season: 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 · 3 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
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 red drum, and shoulder season for striped bass, Atlantic croaker, sheepshead and spot. 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
- Henry Jones Creek69
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Black sea bass 59
- Bluefish 59
8 kt ESEL 11:51 AM · 0.4 ftH 5:20 PM · 1.8 ft
- White Point69
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Little tunny 66
- Black sea bass 59
8 kt ESEL 11:51 AM · 0.4 ftH 5:20 PM · 1.8 ft
- Eastmouth Bay65
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 65
- Little tunny 63
- Black sea bass 59
8 kt ESEL 11:51 AM · 0.4 ftH 5:20 PM · 1.8 ft
- Shell Point63
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 63
- Black sea bass 57
- Bluefish 57
8 kt ESEL 11:51 AM · 0.4 ftH 5:20 PM · 1.8 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.
