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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Spot68
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper62
- King mackerel62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Summer flounder61
- Southern flounder60
- Black drum57
- Red drum57
- Black sea bass56
- Florida pompano56
- Sheepshead56
- Spanish mackerel56
- Cobia52
- Gray triggerfish50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Gag grouper49
- Red grouper49
- Red snapper49
- Little tunny47
- Weakfish47
- Greater amberjack43
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6211 AM EDT
- Best window
- 12-10 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
54Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
91Season: PeakHabitat: 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 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 · 5 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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, Florida pompano and sheepshead. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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.
- 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 Bay67
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Spot 65
3 kt NEH 4:40 PM · 5.3 ftL 10:56 PM · 1.4 ft
- Northeast Point62
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Spot 59
3 kt NEH 4:40 PM · 5.3 ftL 10:56 PM · 1.4 ft
- Bird Island Shoal62
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Summer flounder 61
- Atlantic tarpon 61
3 kt NEH 4:40 PM · 5.3 ftL 10:56 PM · 1.4 ft
- Bull Breakers62
Bar · 5.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Summer flounder 61
- Atlantic tarpon 61
3 kt NEH 4:40 PM · 5.3 ftL 10:56 PM · 1.4 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.