UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spot70
- Atlantic croaker69
- Little tunny67
- Florida pompano65
- Weakfish60
- Black sea bass59
- Bluefish58
- Red drum56
- Southern flounder56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Gag grouper55
- Black drum53
- Summer flounder52
- Sheepshead50
- Striped bass50
- Red snapper49
- King mackerel45
- Crevalle jack39
- Greater amberjack39
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia29
Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 458 AM EST
- Best window
- 3-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High0.5 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
Tuesday, Nov 10 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 6 kt NWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
40Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
51Season: ShoulderHabitat: 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
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 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 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 25 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and little tunny. It is peak season now for little tunny, Florida pompano, weakfish and black sea bass, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and summer flounder. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Little tunny peak 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Point of Narrows75
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Florida pompano 70
12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ft
- Drum Cove72
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 64
12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ft
- Middle Creek72
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 64
12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ft
- Tolers Bay72
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 68
12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:47 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.