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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spot66
- Little tunny64
- Florida pompano63
- Spotted seatrout58
- Black sea bass57
- Red drum57
- Weakfish57
- Bluefish56
- Southern flounder55
- Gag grouper53
- Striped bass51
- Black drum50
- Summer flounder49
- Sheepshead48
- Red snapper46
- King mackerel41
- Greater amberjack37
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Atlantic tarpon34
- Crevalle jack34
- Gray snapper33
- Spanish mackerel32
- Cobia27
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4110 AM EST
- Best window
- 5-9 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
Monday, Nov 16 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 7 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 66°F, coldLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
45Season: 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 · 3 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 Atlantic croaker, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for little tunny, Florida pompano, spotted seatrout and black sea bass, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, striped bass and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September 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.
- 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 Narrows73
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Florida pompano 68
9 kt NEL 3:22 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:04 PM · 0.6 ft
- Drum Cove70
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Red drum 62
9 kt NEL 3:22 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:04 PM · 0.6 ft
- Middle Creek70
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 61
9 kt NEL 3:22 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:04 PM · 0.6 ft
- Tolers Bay70
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Florida pompano 66
9 kt NEL 3:22 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:04 PM · 0.6 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.