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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot73
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Red drum70
- Gray snapper68
- Crevalle jack67
- Southern flounder64
- Summer flounder64
- Spotted seatrout63
- King mackerel62
- Florida pompano61
- Black drum59
- Weakfish57
- Black sea bass56
- Red snapper54
- Spanish mackerel52
- Gray triggerfish51
- Sheepshead51
- Gag grouper50
- Red grouper50
- Greater amberjack49
- Little tunny47
- Cobia45
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 5210 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy Landing 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 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
65Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 5 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
98Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
47Season: 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
Sandy Landing
- Depth
- Up to 5 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Sandy Landing
Sandy Landing is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth in the nearest water is up to 5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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
- Raymond Sand76
Gut · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 72
12 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- North Bay72
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Red drum 71
- Spot 71
12 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Sand Hill Point71
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
- Atlantic croaker 67
12 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Point of Grass69
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 67
12 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 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.