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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot71
- Florida pompano61
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Red drum58
- Crevalle jack57
- King mackerel57
- Gray snapper55
- Summer flounder52
- Southern flounder51
- Spotted seatrout51
- Little tunny50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Black drum47
- Gray triggerfish47
- Black sea bass46
- Gag grouper46
- Red snapper46
- Red grouper45
- Sheepshead43
- Cobia42
- Weakfish42
- Greater amberjack41
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 576 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shell 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
Wednesday, Sep 23 · 11 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
98Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 11 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
91Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: PeakHabitat: 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 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
Shell Point
- Depth
- 6-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · 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 Shell Point
Shell Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 6-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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 red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and black drum. 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
- Lighthouse Channel81
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 66
5 kt SEL 12:49 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:47 AM · 1.3 ft
- Eastmouth Bay76
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 75
- Florida pompano 64
5 kt SEL 12:49 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:47 AM · 1.3 ft
- Henry Jones Creek76
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Red drum 66
5 kt SEL 12:49 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:47 AM · 1.3 ft
- Sandy Point72
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 71
- Florida pompano 61
5 kt SEL 12:49 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:47 AM · 1.3 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.