Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Windmill Point

35.18°N · 76.67°W · Cape · Neuse and Bay Rivers

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Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel

79/100Great
Now
566 PM EST
Best window
6-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 3 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score58Good
Tide0.5 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind5 kn NNEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherClear9% cloud
Water65°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Windmill Point

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Windmill Point

Windmill Point is a cape in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spotted seatrout and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spotted seatrout, red drum and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. 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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Smith Creek Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    79
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 74

    5 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Poorhouse Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    79
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 74

    5 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Parch Corn Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    79
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 79
    • Red drum 78
    • Weakfish 77

    5 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Bell Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    79
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 79
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 74

    5 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 0.6 ftL 3:52 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.