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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot75
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Gray snapper68
- Red drum68
- Crevalle jack66
- Southern flounder62
- Summer flounder62
- Florida pompano61
- Black drum60
- King mackerel60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Spanish mackerel56
- Weakfish56
- Red snapper55
- Sheepshead54
- Black sea bass53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Gag grouper52
- Cobia51
- Red grouper51
- Little tunny49
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6012 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-6 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Swanquarter 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Swanquarter Bay
- Depth
- 7-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Swanquarter Bay
Swanquarter Bay is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 7-10 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 gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Eastard Bay77
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Atlantic tarpon 71
9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Creek77
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Red drum 71
9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Long Point72
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 66
9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Point72
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 66
9 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftL 7:10 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.