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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot71
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Florida pompano59
- Red drum58
- Crevalle jack57
- Gray snapper56
- Summer flounder54
- King mackerel52
- Southern flounder51
- Black drum50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Spanish mackerel48
- Weakfish47
- Red snapper44
- Cobia43
- Gray triggerfish43
- Black sea bass42
- Sheepshead42
- Gag grouper41
- Red grouper41
- Little tunny38
- Greater amberjack36
- Bluefish34
Best score today · 5 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 529 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sound Bay 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
38Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Sound Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Sound Bay
Sound Bay is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
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 red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. 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
- Little Drum Creek73
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 61
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Boar Point68
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 65
- Atlantic tarpon 56
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Boar Shoal68
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 65
- Florida pompano 61
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bay Point68
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 65
- Atlantic tarpon 56
12 kt NEH 12:00 AM · 0.5 ftL 5:52 AM · 0.4 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.