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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny70
- Weakfish67
- Bluefish66
- Florida pompano66
- Red drum63
- Summer flounder63
- Black sea bass62
- Gag grouper58
- Spot58
- Striped bass58
- Atlantic croaker57
- King mackerel56
- Crevalle jack53
- Black drum52
- Red snapper52
- Sheepshead49
- Greater amberjack47
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 568 AM EST
- Best window
- 5-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tar Hole Inlet 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
Monday, Nov 2 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 66°F, coldLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
72Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
Tar Hole Inlet
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · 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 Tar Hole Inlet
Tar Hole Inlet is a bay in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, weakfish and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, bluefish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for summer flounder, spot, striped bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Hatteras Inlet70
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 70
- Black sea bass 68
- Weakfish 68
17 kt NEH 12:25 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ft
- Cockrel Creek68
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 68
- Weakfish 68
- Red drum 62
17 kt NEH 12:25 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ft
- Legged Lump67
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 67
- Little tunny 67
- Bluefish 65
17 kt NEH 12:25 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.4 ft
- Shingle Creek64
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 64
- Bluefish 63
- Black sea bass 62
17 kt NEH 12:25 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.4 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.
