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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Spot67
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Gray snapper63
- Red drum62
- Crevalle jack61
- King mackerel61
- Southern flounder61
- Spotted seatrout59
- Summer flounder56
- Black drum55
- Red snapper55
- Gray triggerfish53
- Little tunny53
- Black sea bass52
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper51
- Weakfish51
- Spanish mackerel50
- Sheepshead49
- Cobia47
- Florida pompano47
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 502 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Skate 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
87Wind: 11 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Skate Point
- Depth
- Up to 5 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpanish 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 Skate Point
Skate Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is up to 5 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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, gray triggerfish and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Hamilton Point74
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Red drum 73
- Southern flounder 73
8 kt ESEL 7:08 AM · 0.4 ftH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ft
- Bulah Point70
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
- Spot 68
8 kt ESEL 7:08 AM · 0.4 ftH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ft
- Fork Point70
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
- Spot 68
8 kt ESEL 7:08 AM · 0.4 ftH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ft
- Graveyard Point70
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
- Spot 68
8 kt ESEL 7:08 AM · 0.4 ftH 12:00 AM · 0.5 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.