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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker60
- Spot57
- Florida pompano54
- Crevalle jack53
- King mackerel51
- Summer flounder50
- Gray snapper49
- Red drum46
- Weakfish39
- Black sea bass38
- Spanish mackerel38
- Black drum35
- Greater amberjack35
- Little tunny33
- Red snapper33
- Gag grouper32
- Gray triggerfish32
- Red grouper31
- Sheepshead31
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Cobia30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Bluefish28
Best score today · 4 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 515 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High3.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Kings Channel 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
44Tide: High slackCurrent: 1.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
26Wind: 20 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.1 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
75Season: 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
Kings Channel
- Depth
- 6-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Kings Channel
Kings Channel is a channel in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 6-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, black sea bass and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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
- Clam Shoal63
Bar · 2.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 63
- Atlantic croaker 52
- Spot 52
19 kt ENEH 5:17 PM · 3.4 ftL 11:41 PM · 0.8 ft
- Brooks Creek60
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Spot 60
- Florida pompano 52
20 kt ENEH 5:17 PM · 3.4 ftL 11:41 PM · 0.8 ft
- Brooks Point55
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 55
- Spot 55
- Florida pompano 52
20 kt ENEH 5:17 PM · 3.4 ftL 11:41 PM · 0.8 ft
- Kings Point55
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 55
- Spot 55
- Florida pompano 52
20 kt ENEH 5:17 PM · 3.4 ftL 11:41 PM · 0.8 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.