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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker79
- Spot78
- Gray snapper74
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Crevalle jack72
- Southern flounder71
- King mackerel67
- Red drum67
- Spotted seatrout66
- Summer flounder65
- Black drum64
- Black sea bass61
- Florida pompano61
- Sheepshead61
- Spanish mackerel60
- Weakfish59
- Red snapper57
- Cobia56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Little tunny54
- Gag grouper53
- Red grouper53
- Greater amberjack50
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6710 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Masons Harbor 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
91Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Masons Harbor
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Masons Harbor
Masons Harbor is a bay in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, gray snapper and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, Florida pompano and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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
- Ashon Gut80
Gut · 3.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Atlantic tarpon 80
- Spot 76
8 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Gaylord Bay77
Bay · 0.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Atlantic tarpon 76
- Spot 75
8 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Mixon Creek73
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Southern flounderPeak season- Southern flounder 73
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
8 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- East Point72
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Spot 69
8 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 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.