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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Little tunny73
- Black sea bass71
- Bluefish71
- Gag grouper67
- Florida pompano65
- Summer flounder65
- Weakfish65
- Red drum64
- Atlantic croaker61
- Black drum61
- Red snapper61
- Spot61
- Sheepshead59
- Striped bass58
- King mackerel57
- Greater amberjack56
- Crevalle jack53
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 576 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Ground 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.0 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
50Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Ground
- Depth
- 10-20 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Middle Ground
Middle Ground is a bar in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Depth is 10-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, black sea bass, bluefish and gag grouper, and shoulder season for summer flounder, Atlantic croaker, black drum and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.
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.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Charleston Harbor78
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 78
- Little tunny 74
- Bluefish 70
10 kt NEL 7:37 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:03 PM · 5.8 ft
- Folly Island Channel77
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 77
- Weakfish 74
- Atlantic croaker 70
10 kt NEL 7:37 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:03 PM · 5.8 ft
- South Channel77
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 77
- Red drum 72
- Summer flounder 71
10 kt NEL 7:37 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:03 PM · 5.8 ft
- Bennis Reach77
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: WeakfishPeak season- Weakfish 77
- Black sea bass 73
- Red drum 72
10 kt NEL 7:39 AM · 0.7 ftH 2:08 PM · 6.0 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.