Waterlands

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King mackerelPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Eastham Creek Point

35.30°N · 76.61°W · Cape · Pamlico and Pungo Rivers

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel

75/100Great
Now
616 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Sep 18 · 12 AM

Time12A
Score59Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind5 kn SSWgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherClear3% cloud
Water82°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

Peak season for King mackerel · 6 more weeks at peak

King mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for King mackerel · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina

Spot profile

Eastham Creek Point

Depth
2-6 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Eastham Creek Point

Eastham Creek Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. 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.
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

  • Sand Beach Creek

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    80
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 80
    • Spot 78
    • Red drum 76

    4 kt ESEH 7:11 PM · 0.6 ftL 4:12 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Dead Duck Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 73
    • Red drum 69

    4 kt ESEH 7:11 PM · 0.6 ftL 4:12 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Store Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 73
    • Red drum 69

    4 kt ESEH 7:11 PM · 0.6 ftL 4:12 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Pasture Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 73
    • Red drum 69

    4 kt ESEH 7:11 PM · 0.6 ftL 4:12 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.