Waterlands

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King mackerelPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

White Point

34.89°N · 76.33°W · Cape · Pamlico Sound

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Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
594 PM EDT
Best window
5-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Oct 5 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score71Great
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind3 kn NNEgusts 9 · steady
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherClear17% cloud
Water76°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak

King mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in North Carolina

Spot profile

White Point

Depth
Up to 5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · 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 White Point

White Point is a cape in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Depth is up to 5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gag grouper. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
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

  • Barry Bay

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    60
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • King mackerel 59

    12 kt ENEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft

  • 60
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • King mackerel 59
    • Red drum 59

    12 kt ENEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Hall Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    59
    Top: King mackerelPeak season
    • King mackerel 59
    • Crevalle jack 54
    • Atlantic croaker 53

    12 kt ENEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Cross Shoal Channel

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    56
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Atlantic tarpon 55
    • Crevalle jack 54

    17 kt ENEH 9:38 PM · 0.7 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.2 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.