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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper71
- King mackerel71
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Crevalle jack70
- Atlantic croaker68
- Red drum68
- Spot67
- Summer flounder65
- Little tunny63
- Southern flounder61
- Spotted seatrout61
- Spanish mackerel60
- Greater amberjack59
- Red snapper59
- Gray triggerfish57
- Weakfish57
- Black sea bass56
- Red grouper56
- Black drum55
- Gag grouper55
- Cobia54
- Sheepshead53
- Florida pompano51
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 609 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tombstone 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 6 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
91Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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 today
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
Tombstone Point
- Depth
- 2-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
- 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 Tombstone Point
Tombstone Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 2-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, king mackerel and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for gray snapper, king mackerel, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, greater amberjack and red snapper. Gray snapper peak from June through September. King mackerel peak in May and 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Beaufort Inlet79
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 79
- Crevalle jack 78
- Atlantic croaker 77
8 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:40 AM · 3.1 ft
- Morehead City Channel78
Channel · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 78
- Atlantic croaker 77
- Gray snapper 76
8 kt NEL 11:59 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:50 AM · 3.0 ft
- Beaufort Channel78
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 78
- Gray snapper 76
- Atlantic croaker 75
8 kt NEL 11:52 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:40 AM · 3.1 ft
- Tar Landing Bay75
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 75
- Gray snapper 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
8 kt NEL 11:18 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:19 AM · 3.4 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.