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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker62
- Spot61
- Red drum60
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Florida pompano56
- King mackerel54
- Crevalle jack53
- Gray snapper52
- Summer flounder52
- Black drum48
- Little tunny47
- Red snapper46
- Black sea bass44
- Gray triggerfish44
- Gag grouper43
- Spanish mackerel43
- Red grouper42
- Greater amberjack40
- Sheepshead38
- Weakfish37
- Bluefish35
- Cobia34
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 439 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Piney 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 6 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Piney Point
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- 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 Piney Point
Piney Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is about 1 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 red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, little tunny and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
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
- Brett Bay67
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 67
- Red drum 60
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- King Point62
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 61
- Red drum 60
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Fishing Point62
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Spot 62
- Red drum 60
12 kt NEL 3:02 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:21 AM · 1.3 ft
- Cedar Point62
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Red drum 61
- Spot 61
12 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 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.