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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Spot71
- Red drum67
- Crevalle jack63
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Southern flounder62
- Gray snapper59
- Spotted seatrout58
- Summer flounder58
- King mackerel56
- Florida pompano54
- Black drum52
- Red snapper52
- Weakfish52
- Black sea bass50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Gag grouper48
- Red grouper48
- Cobia47
- Spanish mackerel47
- Sheepshead45
- Greater amberjack43
- Little tunny40
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 5612 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-6 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bernice Creek 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
79Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 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
Bernice Creek
- Depth
- 1-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Bernice Creek
Bernice Creek is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
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 crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and weakfish. 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
- Deep Bay73
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 66
13 kt NEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- White Perch Bay73
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 66
13 kt NEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Middle Creek73
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 67
13 kt NEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Deep Cove71
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 65
13 kt NEH 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.