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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spot76
- Atlantic croaker74
- Crevalle jack74
- King mackerel74
- Gray snapper70
- Summer flounder66
- Black sea bass65
- Florida pompano65
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Sheepshead62
- Spanish mackerel62
- Black drum61
- Red drum61
- Spotted seatrout60
- Gray triggerfish59
- Red snapper59
- Gag grouper58
- Southern flounder58
- Little tunny57
- Red grouper57
- Cobia56
- Weakfish55
- Greater amberjack53
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 746 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middletown Anchorage 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
77Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
92Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
Middletown Anchorage
- 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 Middletown Anchorage
Middletown Anchorage 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 spot, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for spot, Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and king mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Florida pompano, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Back Creek73
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 72
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Lone Tree Creek73
Bay · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Crevalle jack 73
- Spot 73
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Berrys Bay72
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Crevalle jack 72
- Spot 72
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ft
- Gibbs Shoal68
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 68
- Florida pompano 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
13 kt NEH 8:21 PM · 0.7 ftL 3:23 AM · 0.4 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.