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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout75
- Weakfish74
- Red drum73
- Little tunny72
- Southern flounder71
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot70
- Black sea bass68
- Bluefish68
- Summer flounder65
- Black drum64
- Gag grouper64
- Sheepshead64
- Florida pompano60
- Striped bass60
- Red snapper57
- Crevalle jack53
- King mackerel53
- Greater amberjack50
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 5311 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Striking 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
Friday, Nov 6 · 10 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
82Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt SSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 68°F, coldLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
55Season: 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
Striking Bay
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Striking Bay
Striking Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, weakfish and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, weakfish, red drum and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, summer flounder and black drum. Spotted seatrout peak from September through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Red drum peak from August 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.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
- 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
- Spencer Bay76
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 76
- Weakfish 75
- Red drum 74
5 kt NEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Short Point75
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 75
- Spotted seatrout 70
- Red drum 69
5 kt NEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Long Point75
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 75
- Spotted seatrout 70
- Red drum 69
5 kt NEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 ft
- Lightwood Snag Bay75
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 75
- Weakfish 74
- Red drum 73
5 kt NEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:28 PM · 0.7 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.