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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot70
- Crevalle jack67
- Gray snapper67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Red drum65
- King mackerel63
- Summer flounder63
- Spotted seatrout61
- Southern flounder58
- Black drum57
- Red snapper57
- Weakfish56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Black sea bass54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Gag grouper53
- Red grouper53
- Sheepshead53
- Cobia51
- Little tunny51
- Greater amberjack50
- Florida pompano49
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 1 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 631 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-3 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sage Bay 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
90Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.4 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
Sage Bay
- Depth
- 1-7 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 Sage Bay
Sage Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-7 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 drum, red snapper, weakfish 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
- Harbor Creek73
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 73
- Red drum 71
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- East Bluff Bay73
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 73
- Gray snapper 71
9 kt NNEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- Juniper Creek70
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Spot 70
- Red drum 68
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 AM · 0.6 ft
- North Bluff Point64
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Spot 64
- Gray snapper 63
12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.4 ftH 8:03 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.