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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot67
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Crevalle jack61
- Gray snapper60
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel59
- Red drum59
- Florida pompano58
- Black drum51
- Weakfish51
- Black sea bass50
- Red snapper47
- Spanish mackerel47
- Gray triggerfish45
- Gag grouper44
- Red grouper44
- Sheepshead44
- Greater amberjack43
- Cobia40
- Little tunny39
- Bluefish34
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 599 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Drum Inlet (historical) 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
72Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.1 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 today
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
Drum Inlet (historical)
- Depth
- 1-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · 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 Drum Inlet (historical)
Drum Inlet (historical) is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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 Drum Inlet71
Gut · 0.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 67
- King mackerel 65
12 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Point of Grass Creek67
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 66
- Red drum 62
12 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Point of Beach62
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- King mackerel 59
12 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Point of Grass62
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- King mackerel 59
12 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 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.