UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Weakfish66
- Black sea bass65
- Red drum64
- Spotted seatrout62
- Atlantic croaker60
- Summer flounder60
- Spot58
- Black drum57
- Little tunny57
- Southern flounder57
- Florida pompano56
- Gag grouper56
- Bluefish54
- Sheepshead54
- Striped bass53
- Red snapper49
- King mackerel47
- Crevalle jack43
- Greater amberjack41
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Cobia27
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4712 PM EST
- Best window
- 2-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Wainwright Slue 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, Nov 14 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 69°F, coolLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
47Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Wainwright Slue
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Wainwright Slue
Wainwright Slue is a gut in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are weakfish, black sea bass and red drum. It is peak season now for weakfish, black sea bass, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, summer flounder, spot and black drum. Weakfish peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Red drum peak from August through November.
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.
- 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.
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Camp Point72
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Little tunny 70
- Spotted seatrout 69
10 kt NEH 8:42 PM · 0.3 ftL 2:33 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Point72
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Little tunny 70
- Spotted seatrout 69
10 kt NEH 8:42 PM · 0.3 ftL 2:33 AM · 0.3 ft
- Hog Island Reef71
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Black sea bass 70
- Florida pompano 69
10 kt NEH 8:42 PM · 0.3 ftL 2:33 AM · 0.3 ft
- Kingfish Shoal63
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 63
- Little tunny 62
- Bluefish 61
10 kt NEH 8:42 PM · 0.3 ftL 2:33 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.