Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelOff season

Bay · North Carolina

Stumpy Point Bay

35.69°N · 75.76°W · Bay · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

79/100Great
Now
356 PM EST
Best window
6-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score35Fair
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward ENE
Wind6 kn Egusts 10 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water64°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Stumpy Point Bay

Depth
3-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Off 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 Stumpy Point Bay

Stumpy Point Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are weakfish, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for weakfish, little tunny, black sea bass and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, summer flounder and black drum. Weakfish peak from October through November. Little tunny peak from October through November. Spot peak from September through October.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 4.9 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Bluefish 69

    8 kt NEL 9:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:02 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Drain Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Black sea bass 70
    • Bluefish 69

    8 kt NEL 9:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:02 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Parched Corn Bay

    Bay · 6.9 mi

    77
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 77
    • Little tunny 75
    • Spot 74

    9 kt NEL 10:46 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:18 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 5.3 mi

    75
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 75
    • Little tunny 74
    • Spot 71

    9 kt NEL 9:48 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:02 AM · 0.5 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.