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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot69
- Red drum68
- Crevalle jack67
- Southern flounder66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Gray snapper64
- Summer flounder63
- King mackerel62
- Spotted seatrout62
- Weakfish57
- Red snapper55
- Black drum54
- Black sea bass53
- Cobia52
- Gray triggerfish52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper51
- Greater amberjack50
- Little tunny49
- Sheepshead49
- Florida pompano48
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 1 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 622 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Laurel 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
Wednesday, Sep 30 · 4 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
84Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 3 kt EPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 74°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: 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 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
Laurel Creek
- Depth
- 1-4 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 Laurel Creek
Laurel Creek is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-4 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 red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for weakfish, red snapper, black drum and black sea bass. 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
- Buck Creek73
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 69
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Juniper Bay73
Bay · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Cunning Harbor Bay69
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 69
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- West Bluff Bay69
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 69
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 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.