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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot68
- Florida pompano58
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Red drum56
- Crevalle jack55
- King mackerel55
- Summer flounder54
- Gray snapper53
- Southern flounder53
- Black drum50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Spotted seatrout48
- Black sea bass47
- Gray triggerfish47
- Little tunny47
- Gag grouper46
- Red grouper46
- Red snapper46
- Sheepshead44
- Cobia43
- Weakfish42
- Greater amberjack41
- Bluefish34
Best score today · 10 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 5511 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Drum Point 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
Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
96Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & 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
Drum Point
- Depth
- 1-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Point
Drum Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel 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
- Point of Narrows79
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 66
12 kt NEH 11:32 AM · 0.5 ftL 6:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- Drum Cove76
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Red drum 65
12 kt NEH 11:32 AM · 0.5 ftL 6:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- Middle Creek76
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Red drum 63
12 kt NEH 11:32 AM · 0.5 ftL 6:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- Tolers Bay76
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Florida pompano 63
12 kt NEH 11:32 AM · 0.5 ftL 6:05 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.