UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all60
- King mackerel60
- Atlantic croaker59
- Spot59
- Florida pompano58
- Crevalle jack56
- Atlantic tarpon53
- Gray snapper52
- Summer flounder52
- Red drum51
- Little tunny47
- Spanish mackerel47
- Red snapper45
- Black sea bass44
- Gag grouper44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Greater amberjack43
- Red grouper43
- Black drum41
- Cobia40
- Weakfish40
- Sheepshead38
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 605 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-8 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gap 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
94Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 75°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
87Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Gap Point
- Depth
- 2-5 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 Gap Point
Gap Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-5 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, Atlantic croaker and spot. It is peak season now for king mackerel, Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and red snapper. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October.
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
- Teaches Hole Channel68
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 65
- Crevalle jack 61
18 kt ENEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ft
- Old Slough68
Gut · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 65
- Crevalle jack 61
18 kt ENEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ft
- Northern Pond65
Bay · 0.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 64
- Florida pompano 62
18 kt ENEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ft
- Horsepen Point60
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 60
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Spot 59
18 kt ENEL 12:39 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:02 AM · 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.