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King mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot72
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Crevalle jack62
- Gray snapper60
- Red drum60
- Summer flounder59
- Florida pompano58
- Southern flounder54
- King mackerel52
- Black drum51
- Black sea bass51
- Spotted seatrout50
- Weakfish50
- Spanish mackerel48
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red snapper45
- Sheepshead45
- Gag grouper44
- Red grouper44
- Greater amberjack41
- Little tunny41
- Cobia36
- Bluefish30
Best score today · 10 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 526 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High5.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horse Reach 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
14Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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
Horse Reach
- Depth
- 15-60 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- 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 Horse Reach
Horse Reach is a channel in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Depth is 15-60 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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
- Bennis Reach78
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 67
6 kt ENEL 11:56 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:54 AM · 5.2 ft
- Hog Island Reach78
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 67
6 kt ENEL 11:56 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:54 AM · 5.2 ft
- Town Creek Lower Reach77
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 67
6 kt ENEL 11:56 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:54 AM · 5.2 ft
- Patriots Point69
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Spot 67
- Gray snapper 60
6 kt ENEL 11:56 PM · 1.3 ftH 5:54 AM · 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.