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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot75
- Gray snapper71
- Crevalle jack69
- Red drum69
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Southern flounder66
- Spotted seatrout65
- King mackerel64
- Black drum62
- Summer flounder62
- Spanish mackerel59
- Black sea bass58
- Sheepshead58
- Red snapper55
- Weakfish55
- Florida pompano54
- Cobia53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Gag grouper51
- Little tunny51
- Red grouper51
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 644 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bull Harbor 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
Tuesday, Sep 29 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
91Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.
Source: SCDNR · 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
Bull Harbor
- Depth
- 5-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Bull Harbor
Bull Harbor is a bay in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Depth is 5-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, gray snapper and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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
- Bulls Bay75
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 73
- Spot 72
4 kt SWL 8:03 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:51 PM · 5.2 ft
- Northeast Point69
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 68
4 kt SWL 8:03 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:51 PM · 5.2 ft
- Bird Island Shoal69
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 68
4 kt SWL 8:03 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:51 PM · 5.2 ft
- Bull Breakers69
Bar · 5.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 68
4 kt SWL 8:03 AM · 1.4 ftH 2:51 PM · 5.2 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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.