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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spot67
- Atlantic croaker66
- Little tunny64
- Florida pompano63
- Spotted seatrout59
- Red drum57
- Weakfish57
- Black sea bass56
- Bluefish56
- Southern flounder55
- Gag grouper53
- Striped bass51
- Black drum50
- Summer flounder49
- Sheepshead48
- Red snapper46
- King mackerel42
- Greater amberjack37
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Crevalle jack35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Gray snapper33
- Spanish mackerel32
- Cobia27
Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 429 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High0.5 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
Wednesday, Nov 11 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt WPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
40Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
49Season: 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
Cradle Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftNearest water
- 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 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 little tunny. It is peak season now for little tunny, Florida pompano, spotted seatrout and red drum, 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. Little tunny peak from October 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.
- 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 Gut75
Gut · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Spotted seatrout 67
6 kt NNEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Farrow Point67
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Little tunny 65
6 kt NNEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Cousin Point67
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 67
- Spotted seatrout 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
6 kt NNEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Chambers Point67
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Little tunny 65
6 kt NNEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 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.