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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Red drum66
- Crevalle jack65
- Southern flounder62
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Gray snapper60
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel58
- Spotted seatrout57
- Red snapper54
- Black drum53
- Florida pompano53
- Weakfish53
- Black sea bass52
- Gray triggerfish52
- Gag grouper50
- Red grouper50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Cobia48
- Sheepshead48
- Greater amberjack45
- Little tunny42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 585 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-10 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Buck 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 12 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 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
Buck Creek
- Depth
- 2-5 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 Buck Creek
Buck Creek is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-5 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 red snapper, black drum, Florida pompano 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
- Great Island Narrows72
Channel · 2.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 68
- Crevalle jack 67
12 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Juniper Bay71
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 66
12 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Laurel Creek68
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
- Crevalle jack 64
12 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Cunning Harbor Bay68
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
- Crevalle jack 64
12 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 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.