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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot70
- Weakfish70
- Red drum69
- Black sea bass66
- Spotted seatrout66
- Florida pompano64
- Summer flounder63
- Southern flounder61
- Black drum60
- Little tunny59
- Gag grouper56
- Sheepshead56
- Bluefish53
- Striped bass53
- Red snapper49
- King mackerel48
- Crevalle jack45
- Greater amberjack42
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia30
Best score today · 3 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 481 PM EST
- Best window
- 3-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Buxton Harbor Channel 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: 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
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Buxton Harbor Channel
- Depth
- 2-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Buxton Harbor Channel
Buxton Harbor Channel is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and weakfish. It is peak season now for weakfish, red drum, black sea bass and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Weakfish peak from October 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
- Devil Shoals75
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 75
- Black sea bass 71
- Bluefish 71
8 kt ENEH 4:39 PM · 0.6 ftL 12:01 AM · 0.1 ft
- Brooks Creek70
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotShoulder season- Spot 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 67
8 kt ENEH 1:24 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:56 PM · 0.4 ft
- Canadian Hole69
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Spot 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
8 kt ENEH 1:25 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:57 PM · 0.5 ft
- Brooks Point67
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Florida pompano 64
- Spot 64
8 kt ENEH 1:24 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:56 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.