UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot67
- Atlantic tarpon56
- Florida pompano54
- Red drum52
- Gray snapper51
- Southern flounder51
- Crevalle jack49
- King mackerel47
- Spotted seatrout47
- Summer flounder45
- Black drum43
- Little tunny42
- Red snapper42
- Black sea bass40
- Spanish mackerel40
- Weakfish40
- Gray triggerfish39
- Gag grouper38
- Red grouper38
- Sheepshead36
- Bluefish35
- Cobia34
- Greater amberjack34
Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4712 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-6 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sheeppen 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
Saturday, Sep 26 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: PeakHabitat: 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
Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sheeppen Point
- Depth
- 2-8 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 Sheeppen Point
Sheeppen Point is a cape in Pamlico and Pungo Rivers, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 2-8 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, little tunny and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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
- Sand Beach Creek70
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 67
- Red drum 56
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Cedar Point69
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 67
- Atlantic tarpon 56
8 kt NNEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Facing Point64
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 62
- Florida pompano 51
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 0.4 ft
- Store Point64
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 62
- Florida pompano 51
13 kt NEL 5:52 AM · 0.4 ftH 2:35 PM · 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.