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King mackerelShoulder seasonChannel · North Carolina
Steep Point Channel
34.74°N · 76.61°W · Channel · Neuse and Bay Rivers
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot70
- Red drum68
- Spotted seatrout65
- Florida pompano64
- Black sea bass63
- Weakfish63
- Little tunny59
- Black drum58
- Southern flounder57
- Summer flounder56
- Bluefish55
- Striped bass55
- Gag grouper54
- Sheepshead53
- Red snapper47
- Crevalle jack42
- King mackerel42
- Greater amberjack39
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia24
Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 423 PM EST
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Steep Point Channel 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
Saturday, Nov 7 · 10 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.0 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 3 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.9 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
53Season: 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 · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Steep Point Channel
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Steep Point Channel
Steep Point Channel is a channel in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout, Florida pompano and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and summer flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August 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
- Marsh Hen Point77
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 77
- Spotted seatrout 75
- Little tunny 72
9 kt EH 3:49 PM · 2.1 ftL 11:04 PM · 0.3 ft
- North River Thorofare72
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 65
9 kt EL 9:07 PM · 0.4 ftH 3:21 AM · 2.4 ft
- Davis Bay69
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Red drum 68
9 kt EL 9:07 PM · 0.4 ftH 3:21 AM · 2.4 ft
- Steep Point67
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Florida pompano 64
9 kt EL 9:07 PM · 0.4 ftH 3:21 AM · 2.4 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.