Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · North Carolina

Drum Point

35.38°N · 76.41°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel

80/100Great
Now
564 PM EST
Best window
4-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.4 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 11 · 9 PM

Time9P
Score37Fair
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind6 kn WNWgusts 24 · steady
Air temp50°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina →

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 little tunny, black sea bass and weakfish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, weakfish and bluefish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, black drum and summer flounder. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Weakfish 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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Point of Narrows

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    76
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 76
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Little tunny 74

    12 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Drum Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Weakfish 73
    • Spotted seatrout 72

    12 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Middle Creek

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    73
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 73
    • Red drum 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    12 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Tolers Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    73
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 73
    • Little tunny 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    12 kt NEH 8:47 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:55 AM · 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.