UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot68
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Crevalle jack67
- Gray snapper65
- King mackerel65
- Red drum64
- Southern flounder61
- Summer flounder61
- Little tunny60
- Spanish mackerel59
- Gray triggerfish58
- Black drum57
- Black sea bass57
- Red snapper57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Florida pompano56
- Gag grouper56
- Red grouper55
- Sheepshead53
- Greater amberjack51
- Weakfish51
- Cobia50
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 657 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt WSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 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 yesterday
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
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, gray triggerfish and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Howard Bay75
Bay · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 72
6 kt NL 11:01 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ft
- Mile Hammock Bay75
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 72
6 kt NL 11:01 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ft
- Traps Bay75
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 72
6 kt NL 11:01 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:33 PM · 3.3 ft
- Cedar Point73
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Atlantic croaker 70
6 kt NL 11:01 AM · 0.6 ftH 5:33 PM · 3.3 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.