Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Bay · South Carolina

Bull Harbor

32.95°N · 79.60°W · Bay · Charleston Harbor

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Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel

78/100Great
Now
561 AM EST
Best window
6-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score56Good
Tide3.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind5 kn NEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 6 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherClear14% cloud
Water69°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 SCDNR before you keep a fish.

Source: SCDNR · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 3 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in South Carolina →

Spot profile

Bull Harbor

Depth
5-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-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 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 25 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, Florida pompano and spot. It is peak season now for black sea bass, Florida pompano, weakfish and bluefish, and shoulder season for spot, Atlantic croaker, sheepshead and striped bass. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Spot peak from September 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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bird Island Shoal

    Bar · 1.8 mi

    69
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 69
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Black sea bass 65

    5 kt NEH 3:32 AM · 5.4 ftL 9:33 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Bulls Bay

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Weakfish 68
    • Bluefish 67

    5 kt NEH 3:32 AM · 5.4 ftL 9:33 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Bull Breakers

    Bar · 5.0 mi

    68
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 68
    • Florida pompano 68
    • Black sea bass 65

    5 kt NEH 3:32 AM · 5.4 ftL 9:33 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Northeast Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Bluefish 66
    • Black sea bass 65

    5 kt NEH 3:32 AM · 5.4 ftL 9:33 AM · 0.6 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.