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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot68
- Florida pompano66
- Weakfish66
- Black sea bass63
- Red drum63
- Spotted seatrout61
- Summer flounder59
- Little tunny58
- Southern flounder56
- Black drum54
- Gag grouper54
- Striped bass54
- Bluefish53
- Sheepshead52
- Red snapper47
- King mackerel46
- Crevalle jack44
- Greater amberjack41
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel34
- Cobia26
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 462 PM EST
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.2 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Old Slough 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 3 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 70°F, coolLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: 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
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Old Slough
- Depth
- 1-4 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Old Slough
Old Slough is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, weakfish, black sea bass and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October 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
- Northern Pond71
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 71
- Spot 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
11 kt EL 9:05 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:32 AM · 1.0 ft
- Teaches Hole Channel70
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 68
- Florida pompano 66
11 kt EL 9:05 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:32 AM · 1.0 ft
- Gap Point66
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 66
- Little tunny 66
- Spot 62
11 kt EL 9:05 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:32 AM · 1.0 ft
- Horsepen Point66
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 66
- Little tunny 66
- Spot 62
11 kt EL 9:05 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:32 AM · 1.0 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.