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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot74
- Crevalle jack71
- Gray snapper68
- Southern flounder67
- King mackerel65
- Summer flounder65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Black sea bass62
- Black drum61
- Red drum61
- Sheepshead61
- Spanish mackerel60
- Spotted seatrout57
- Gray triggerfish56
- Cobia55
- Florida pompano54
- Gag grouper54
- Little tunny54
- Red grouper54
- Red snapper54
- Weakfish51
- Greater amberjack50
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 651 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mouse Harbor 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
73Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
91Season: 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
Mouse Harbor
- Depth
- 5-8 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 Mouse Harbor
Mouse Harbor is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 5-8 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 sea bass, black drum, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel. 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
- Persimmon Tree Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 65
- Crevalle jack 64
7 kt ENEL 5:17 PM · 0.3 ftH 12:24 AM · 0.6 ft
- Hogpen Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 65
- Crevalle jack 64
7 kt ENEL 5:17 PM · 0.3 ftH 12:24 AM · 0.6 ft
- Shell Hill Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 65
- Crevalle jack 64
7 kt ENEL 5:17 PM · 0.3 ftH 12:24 AM · 0.6 ft
- Kirk Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 65
- Crevalle jack 64
7 kt ENEL 5:17 PM · 0.3 ftH 12:24 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.