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King mackerelShoulder seasonBay · New Jersey
Parker Cove
39.61°N · 74.28°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 3012 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMNight bite
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Parker Cove 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
68Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
31Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 18 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
23Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 67°F, coldLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 7.3 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Parker Cove
- Depth
- 4-6 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 Parker Cove
Parker Cove is a bay in Coastal waters from Manasquan Inlet to Little Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM, New Jersey. Depth is 4-6 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
- Long Point Thorofare35
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 35
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 34
- Atlantic croaker 30
18 kt ENEL 2:49 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:19 PM · 2.1 ft
- Little Egg Harbor35
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 35
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 34
- Atlantic croaker 30
18 kt ENEL 2:49 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:19 PM · 2.1 ft
- Rose Cove35
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 35
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 34
- Atlantic croaker 30
18 kt ENEL 2:48 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:24 PM · 2.3 ft
- Dinner Point35
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 35
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 34
- Atlantic croaker 30
18 kt ENEL 2:49 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:19 PM · 2.1 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.