UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Spanish mackerelOff seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spot66
- Atlantic croaker65
- Spotted seatrout64
- Little tunny62
- Red drum62
- Bluefish58
- Florida pompano58
- Southern flounder58
- Striped bass56
- Weakfish56
- Black sea bass53
- Black drum52
- Gag grouper48
- Red snapper46
- Sheepshead45
- Summer flounder44
- King mackerel36
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Gray snapper34
- Greater amberjack34
- Crevalle jack31
- Spanish mackerel30
- Cobia22
Best score today · 5 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 309 PM EST
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cradle 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
Monday, Nov 9 · 12 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt NNEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.2 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
24Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cradle Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Cradle Point
Cradle Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, little tunny, red drum and bluefish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and black drum. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Ashon Gut74
Gut · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Spotted seatrout 72
7 kt NEL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cousin Point72
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 72
- Red drum 71
- Southern flounder 66
7 kt NEL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ft
- Farrow Point66
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spotted seatrout 64
7 kt NEL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:07 AM · 0.5 ft
- Chambers Point66
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spotted seatrout 64
7 kt NEL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:07 AM · 0.5 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.