Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Eastham Creek Point

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

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Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

77/100Great
Now
538 AM EST
Best window
3-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score48Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Wind2 kn SEgusts 10 · steady
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

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.

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

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

Eastham Creek Point

Depth
2-6 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 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 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, bluefish and weakfish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and striped bass. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Dead Duck Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    75
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 75
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Bluefish 67

    12 kt NEL 11:29 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:12 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Store Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    75
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 75
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Bluefish 67

    12 kt NEL 11:29 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:12 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Pasture Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    75
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 75
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Bluefish 67

    12 kt NEL 11:29 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:12 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Sand Beach Creek

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    73
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 73
    • Southern flounder 72
    • Spotted seatrout 71

    12 kt NEL 11:29 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:12 PM · 0.6 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.