Waterlands

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King mackerelPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Dulls Point

35.70°N · 75.50°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 2 AM · Atlantic croaker

71/100Great
Now
6910 AM EDT
Best window
10-11 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score69Great
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward NNE
Wind11 kn ENEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy42% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

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.

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

King mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina

Spot profile

Dulls Point

Depth
1-3 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 Dulls Point

Dulls Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, crevalle jack and gray snapper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for little tunny, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and red snapper. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.

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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Terrapin Creek Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    74
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 74
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • King mackerel 69

    11 kt ENEL 11:39 AM · 0.1 ftH 6:06 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Pea Island Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    74
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 74
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • King mackerel 69

    11 kt ENEL 11:39 AM · 0.1 ftH 6:06 PM · 1.0 ft

  • 74
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Summer flounder 71

    11 kt ENEL 3:04 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:51 PM · 0.9 ft

  • The Trench

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    74
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 74
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • King mackerel 69

    11 kt ENEL 11:39 AM · 0.1 ftH 6:06 PM · 1.0 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.