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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot69
- Crevalle jack65
- King mackerel63
- Summer flounder62
- Red drum61
- Florida pompano59
- Gray snapper56
- Atlantic tarpon54
- Black sea bass52
- Gag grouper52
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red snapper52
- Red grouper51
- Spanish mackerel51
- Weakfish51
- Black drum49
- Cobia48
- Greater amberjack47
- Sheepshead47
- Little tunny46
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 637 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Harbor 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
62Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 12 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Harbor Creek
- Depth
- 1-5 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 Harbor Creek
Harbor Creek is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 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 king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, gag grouper and gray triggerfish. 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
- East Bluff Bay69
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 65
12 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Juniper Creek66
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
- Crevalle jack 63
15 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- Drum Point63
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- King mackerel 63
- Spot 63
12 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 ft
- North Bluff Point61
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- King mackerel 61
- Spot 61
15 kt NNEH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.3 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.