UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker80
- Spot76
- Florida pompano69
- Crevalle jack66
- Atlantic tarpon63
- King mackerel63
- Red drum61
- Summer flounder61
- Gray snapper59
- Spanish mackerel56
- Southern flounder55
- Black drum54
- Black sea bass53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Little tunny51
- Weakfish50
- Cobia49
- Sheepshead49
- Gray triggerfish48
- Gag grouper47
- Red snapper47
- Red grouper46
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 639 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cedar Inlet 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
24Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
93Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
88Season: 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 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
Cedar Inlet
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · 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 Cedar Inlet
Cedar Inlet is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and 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
- Old Channel80
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 63
12 kt NEL 3:37 PM · 0.1 ftH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ft
- Gutter Creek80
Gut · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 63
12 kt NEL 3:37 PM · 0.1 ftH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ft
- Yaupon Hammock Gut75
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 70
12 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ft
- Old Channel Point71
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 62
12 kt NEL 3:37 PM · 0.1 ftH 9:38 PM · 0.7 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.