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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker55
- Spot55
- Florida pompano53
- King mackerel53
- Atlantic tarpon51
- Gray snapper51
- Summer flounder51
- Crevalle jack50
- Red drum50
- Black drum49
- Red snapper48
- Black sea bass45
- Gag grouper44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Spanish mackerel44
- Red grouper43
- Little tunny41
- Greater amberjack40
- Weakfish40
- Sheepshead39
- Bluefish35
- Cobia35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 2 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 533 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Merkle Hammock 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
74Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 8 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
87Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
73Season: 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
Merkle Hammock
- Depth
- About 4 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Protected
- 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 Merkle Hammock
Merkle Hammock is a bar in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is about 4 ft. Its profile reads bar, inner water and protected.
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, king mackerel and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and black sea bass. 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
- Whalebone Inlet57
Gut · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 54
- Red drum 53
21 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- High Hills Inlet57
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Spot 54
- Red drum 53
21 kt NEH 5:42 AM · 1.8 ftL 11:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Mullet Shoal51
Bar · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 51
- Atlantic tarpon 48
- Atlantic croaker 44
14 kt NNEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Point51
Bar · 2.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 51
- Atlantic tarpon 48
- Atlantic croaker 44
14 kt NNEL 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.