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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny78
- Weakfish71
- Black sea bass70
- Red drum70
- Spotted seatrout70
- Bluefish69
- Gag grouper66
- Southern flounder66
- Spot66
- Atlantic croaker65
- Florida pompano64
- Striped bass64
- Black drum62
- Summer flounder62
- Sheepshead61
- Red snapper59
- King mackerel55
- Greater amberjack52
- Crevalle jack49
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 5512 PM EST
- Best window
- 12-5 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy 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
Thursday, Nov 5 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 65°F, coldLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
56Season: 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 · 3 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sandy Point
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Sandy Point
Sandy Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, weakfish and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, black sea bass and red drum, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and black drum. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Black sea bass 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.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- Weakfish
- Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Drain Point77
Cape · 4.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 77
- Weakfish 71
- Red drum 70
7 kt NEH 5:17 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:49 PM · 0.3 ft
- Sandy Bay76
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 76
- Red drum 75
- Spotted seatrout 75
7 kt ENEH 5:17 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:49 PM · 0.3 ft
- Stumpy Point Bay75
Bay · 4.9 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 75
- Weakfish 75
- Little tunny 73
7 kt NEH 5:17 PM · 0.5 ftL 11:49 PM · 0.3 ft
- Parched Corn Bay67
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 67
- Weakfish 66
- Red drum 65
7 kt ENEH 6:08 PM · 0.7 ftL 12:32 AM · 0.4 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.