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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker82
- Spot78
- Red drum69
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Spotted seatrout63
- Crevalle jack61
- Gray snapper61
- Southern flounder61
- Florida pompano60
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel57
- Black drum56
- Black sea bass50
- Weakfish50
- Sheepshead49
- Spanish mackerel48
- Gray triggerfish47
- Gag grouper46
- Red snapper46
- Red grouper45
- Cobia44
- Greater amberjack41
- Little tunny40
- Bluefish31
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 578 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.4 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
25Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 5 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
74Season: 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Peak season for King mackerel · 6 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Wainwright Slue
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 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 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. 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.
- 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
- Hog Island Reef81
Bar · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Red drum 73
- Spot 72
5 kt SL 10:22 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:33 PM · 0.3 ft
- Camp Point74
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
5 kt SL 10:22 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:33 PM · 0.3 ft
- Cowpen Point74
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
5 kt SL 10:22 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:33 PM · 0.3 ft
- Kingfish Shoal73
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 67
5 kt SL 10:22 AM · 0.3 ftH 8:33 PM · 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.