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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot70
- Red drum67
- Crevalle jack65
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Gray snapper61
- Southern flounder61
- Summer flounder59
- King mackerel58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Red snapper55
- Black drum53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Weakfish53
- Black sea bass52
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper51
- Florida pompano50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Cobia48
- Sheepshead48
- Greater amberjack46
- Little tunny42
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 583 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-7 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle 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
Thursday, Sep 24 · 12 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
80Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
32Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 19 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.0 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
Middle Creek
- Depth
- 1-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Middle Creek
Middle Creek is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
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 red snapper, black drum, gray triggerfish and weakfish. 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
- Drum Cove72
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Red drum 69
14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- White Perch Bay72
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 65
14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Tolers Bay72
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 65
14 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 ft
- Drum Point71
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 66
10 kt NNEL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ftH 1:12 PM · 0.5 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.