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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker65
- Spot65
- Crevalle jack63
- Gray snapper63
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Red drum62
- King mackerel59
- Spotted seatrout58
- Summer flounder58
- Southern flounder55
- Black drum54
- Red snapper53
- Spanish mackerel52
- Weakfish51
- Black sea bass50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Florida pompano49
- Gag grouper49
- Red grouper49
- Sheepshead49
- Little tunny48
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 1 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 592 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-11 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Douglas Bay 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
94Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 6 kt WPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 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
Douglas Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Douglas Bay
Douglas Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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 Hill Bay66
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
12 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Wysocking Bay65
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Crevalle jack 65
- Gray snapper 65
12 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Green Point60
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Spot 60
- Gray snapper 59
12 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Mackey Point60
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Spot 60
- Gray snapper 59
12 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 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.