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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker57
- Spot56
- King mackerel52
- Florida pompano51
- Crevalle jack49
- Gray snapper48
- Red drum47
- Summer flounder45
- Red snapper42
- Black sea bass40
- Gray triggerfish40
- Gag grouper39
- Little tunny39
- Red grouper39
- Spanish mackerel39
- Black drum38
- Greater amberjack36
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Weakfish35
- Bluefish34
- Sheepshead34
- Cobia33
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 399 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Old Channel Point 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
62Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
36Wind: 17 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
47Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Old Channel Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpanish 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 Old Channel Point
Old Channel Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, king mackerel and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red snapper, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Cedar Inlet65
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 62
- King mackerel 58
17 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Old Channel65
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 62
- Red drum 56
17 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Gutter Creek65
Gut · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 62
- Crevalle jack 54
17 kt NEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft
- Yaupon Hammock Gut62
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- Florida pompano 56
17 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 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.