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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot73
- Crevalle jack69
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Red drum67
- King mackerel66
- Summer flounder66
- Gray snapper65
- Florida pompano61
- Black drum60
- Black sea bass60
- Southern flounder60
- Spotted seatrout59
- Gag grouper55
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red snapper55
- Sheepshead55
- Weakfish55
- Red grouper54
- Spanish mackerel53
- Greater amberjack49
- Little tunny47
- Cobia46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 666 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Great Marsh Creek 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 6 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: 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 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
Great Marsh Creek
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Great Marsh Creek
Great Marsh Creek is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and gag grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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
- Middens Creek76
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 75
- Spot 75
12 kt ENEH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ftL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ft
- Jump Run76
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 75
- Spot 75
12 kt ENEH 8:14 PM · 1.4 ftL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ft
- Mullet Shoal68
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Florida pompano 68
- Spot 67
12 kt ENEH 7:09 PM · 1.8 ftL 2:15 AM · 0.6 ft
- Gloucester Point67
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- King mackerel 67
- Spot 66
12 kt ENEH 7:25 PM · 1.8 ftL 2:12 AM · 0.5 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.