Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · South Carolina

Sandy Point

33.00°N · 79.49°W · Cape · Charleston Harbor

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Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

76/100Great
Now
556 AM EST
Best window
6-8 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 12 AM

Time12A
Score43Fair
Tide3.2 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind10 kn NNEgusts 19 · steady
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast94% cloud
Water68°FPersisted

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

Sandy Point

Depth
2-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Depth is 2-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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 striped bass, Atlantic croaker, spot 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

  • Clark Creek

    Gut · 1.6 mi

    74
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Weakfish 71
    • Red drum 70

    7 kt NEL 8:38 AM · 0.6 ftH 3:02 PM · 5.5 ft

  • Bird Island Shoal

    Bar · 5.6 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Black sea bass 70
    • Bluefish 70

    7 kt NEL 8:30 AM · 0.6 ftH 2:54 PM · 5.6 ft

  • White Banks

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Black sea bass 69
    • Bluefish 69

    7 kt NEL 8:38 AM · 0.6 ftH 3:02 PM · 5.5 ft

  • Bulls Bay

    Bay · 4.2 mi

    70
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 70
    • Little tunny 70
    • Weakfish 69

    7 kt NEL 8:30 AM · 0.6 ftH 2:54 PM · 5.6 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.