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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker67
- Spot67
- Crevalle jack64
- Gray snapper64
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Red drum62
- King mackerel60
- Summer flounder58
- Spotted seatrout57
- Black drum55
- Red snapper55
- Southern flounder55
- Black sea bass52
- Gray triggerfish52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper51
- Sheepshead51
- Weakfish51
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack47
- Little tunny47
- Florida pompano46
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 602 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Long Bay 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
76Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 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 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
Long Bay
- Depth
- 6-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Long Bay
Long Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 6-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, 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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, black sea bass 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
- Stump Bay71
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Red drum 65
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Piney Island Bay68
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 68
- Red drum 67
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Owens Bay63
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Red drum 63
- Spot 63
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Corn Sage Point59
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Spot 59
- Gray snapper 56
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 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.