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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Spot67
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Gray snapper62
- Red drum62
- Crevalle jack61
- King mackerel60
- Southern flounder57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Red snapper56
- Summer flounder56
- Black drum55
- Black sea bass53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Little tunny53
- Gag grouper52
- Red grouper51
- Weakfish51
- Sheepshead49
- Spanish mackerel49
- Florida pompano48
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6011 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Westward 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
91Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: 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 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
Westward Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Westward Point
Westward Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for red snapper, black drum, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. 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
- Rattan Bay73
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 68
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- South Bay73
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Red drum 70
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Hammock Point68
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 64
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Rattan Spit68
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 64
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 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.