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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper63
- King mackerel63
- Red drum63
- Southern flounder62
- Summer flounder62
- Florida pompano59
- Black drum57
- Black sea bass57
- Little tunny57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Gray triggerfish56
- Gag grouper55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Sheepshead53
- Cobia50
- Greater amberjack50
- Weakfish50
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 10 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 5710 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 6 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
99Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Drum Point
- Depth
- 1-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpanish 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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 Narrows80
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 76
11 kt NEH 11:32 AM · 0.5 ftL 6:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- Drum Cove77
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Red drum 73
11 kt NEH 11:32 AM · 0.5 ftL 6:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- Middle Creek77
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 72
11 kt NEH 11:32 AM · 0.5 ftL 6:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- Tolers Bay77
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 72
11 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.