UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all73
- King mackerel73
- Gray snapper69
- Summer flounder68
- Atlantic croaker67
- Spot67
- Gray triggerfish65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Crevalle jack64
- Florida pompano64
- Red snapper64
- Southern flounder64
- Black sea bass63
- Gag grouper63
- Red grouper63
- Black drum62
- Red drum61
- Spanish mackerel60
- Cobia59
- Greater amberjack59
- Sheepshead59
- Spotted seatrout57
- Little tunny54
- Weakfish48
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 732 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gull Rocks 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
76Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
99Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Gull Rocks
- Depth
- 3-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Gull Rocks
Gull Rocks is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, gray snapper and summer flounder. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, summer flounder and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, Florida pompano, red snapper and black sea bass. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Summer flounder 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.
- 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.
- Summer flounder
- Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Hillerys Cove73
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Crevalle jack 69
6 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- Gull Shoal67
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Summer flounder 67
6 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- Hog Island Shoal67
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Summer flounder 67
6 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 ft
- Bensons Point67
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Crevalle jack 63
6 kt ESEH 7:46 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:28 AM · 0.4 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.