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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot72
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Red drum66
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper65
- Spotted seatrout62
- Southern flounder60
- Summer flounder60
- Black drum59
- King mackerel59
- Red snapper55
- Weakfish55
- Sheepshead53
- Black sea bass52
- Gray triggerfish52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Cobia51
- Gag grouper51
- Red grouper50
- Little tunny49
- Greater amberjack46
- Florida pompano45
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 1 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 521 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 Stump 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
Saturday, Sep 26 · 10 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 8 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
58Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Stump Bay
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Stump Bay
Stump Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-3 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, weakfish and sheepshead. 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
- Piney Island Bay71
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Red drum 70
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Sanborns Gut71
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 70
- Spot 70
13 kt NEL 3:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 8:41 AM · 0.3 ft
- Long Bay69
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 67
13 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ftH 9:40 AM · 0.6 ft
- Corn Sage Point63
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 63
- Gray snapper 62
13 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.