Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Bay · New Jersey

Barnegat Bay

39.80°N · 74.14°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

55/100Good
Now
294 PM EDT
Best window
4 PM-12 AMDusk
Tide now
Flooding0.1 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Tue · 81

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score29Fair
Tide0.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward W
Wind17 kn NEgusts 40 · steady
Sea stateRough6.6 ft · 8 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water68°FObserved

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 NJFW before you keep a fish.

Always check with NJFW ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: NJFW · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

King mackerel in New Jersey →

Spot profile

Barnegat Bay

Depth
6-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · 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 Barnegat Bay

Barnegat Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM, New Jersey. Depth is 6-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are yellowfin tuna, Atlantic bluefin tuna and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and bluefish. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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.
Yellowfin tuna
Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Oyster Creek Channel

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    35
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 35
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 33
    • Atlantic croaker 30

    17 kt NEH 9:02 PM · 0.4 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.0 ft

  • Sands Point Harbor

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    35
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 35
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 33
    • Atlantic croaker 30

    17 kt NEH 9:49 PM · 0.3 ftL 4:16 AM · 0.0 ft

  • Double Creek Channel

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    35
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 35
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 34
    • Atlantic croaker 30

    17 kt NEH 7:23 PM · 0.6 ftL 2:35 AM · 0.1 ft

  • Johnny Allens Cove

    Bay · 2.6 mi

    35
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 35
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 32
    • Atlantic croaker 30

    18 kt ENEH 9:19 PM · 0.4 ftL 4:36 AM · 0.0 ft

Open in the tide map

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 NJFW before you keep a fish.