Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Spanish mackerelOff season

Bay · North Carolina

Stumpy Point Bay

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

79/100Great
Now
353 PM EST
Best window
5-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Stumpy Point Bay scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 11 · 1 AM

Time1A
Score35Fair
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind8 kn Wgusts 16 · steady
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherClear3% cloud
Water67°FPersisted

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.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 18 weeks

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts in 18 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 spot, Atlantic croaker and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, weakfish, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, summer flounder and black drum. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Parched Corn Bay

    Bay · 6.9 mi

    74
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 74
    • Little tunny 72
    • Black sea bass 71

    11 kt NEH 4:22 PM · 0.7 ftL 10:46 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Sandy Bay

    Bay · 5.3 mi

    71
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 71
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Spot 69

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

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 4.9 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Florida pompano 65
    • Spot 62

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

  • Drain Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Florida pompano 65
    • Spot 62

    10 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.