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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker55
- Spot55
- Gray snapper52
- Crevalle jack51
- Red drum49
- King mackerel48
- Summer flounder47
- Florida pompano45
- Red snapper43
- Black drum42
- Black sea bass41
- Gray triggerfish40
- Sheepshead40
- Spanish mackerel40
- Weakfish40
- Gag grouper39
- Red grouper39
- Little tunny36
- Bluefish35
- Cobia35
- Greater amberjack35
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 3 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 483 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-5 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Northern Pond 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
73Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
21Wind: 21 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.3 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: 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
Northern Pond
- Depth
- 3-5 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 Northern Pond
Northern Pond is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-5 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 gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, gray snapper and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red snapper, black drum and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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
- Teaches Hole Channel58
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 56
- Gray snapper 53
21 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Old Slough58
Gut · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Spot 56
- Gray snapper 53
21 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Gap Point50
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 50
- Spot 50
- Gray snapper 48
21 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Horsepen Point50
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 50
- Spot 50
- Gray snapper 48
21 kt NEH 6:02 AM · 1.0 ftL 12:31 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.