UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot62
- Red drum60
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Florida pompano56
- King mackerel54
- Crevalle jack52
- Gray snapper52
- Summer flounder52
- Black drum48
- Little tunny47
- Red snapper46
- Black sea bass44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Spanish mackerel44
- Gag grouper43
- Red grouper43
- Greater amberjack40
- Sheepshead38
- Weakfish37
- Bluefish35
- Cobia35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 549 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horse Island 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
45Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: 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 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
Horse Island Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftNearest water
- 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 Horse Island Point
Horse Island Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, little tunny and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
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
- Great Island Creek71
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 68
- Atlantic tarpon 61
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Horse Island Cove67
Bay · 0.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Florida pompano 61
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- The Swash67
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Red drum 60
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Great Island Point62
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Red drum 60
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 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.