Single-zone SST guide

King Mackerel water temperature at Cape Hatteras & Point Offshore.

  • Scomberomorus cavalla
  • Pelagic
  • June: peak

Typical June SST in Cape Hatteras & Point Offshore is 7482°F. King Mackerel prefer 6884°F with peak activity in 7280°F.

SST threshold

King Mackerel threshold gauge.

50°55°60°65°70°75°80°85°90°Peak 7280°
Outside toleranceSuboptimalGoodPeak·Dashed line = hard threshold

Year-round overlap

Cape Hatteras & Point Offshore SST × King Mackerel range.

Where Cape Hatteras & Point Offshore typical monthly SST overlaps with king mackerel's preferred and optimal ranges, the species is in range.

Best months

May, June, July, August, September, October

MonthZone SSTStatus
Jan5866°FOutside
Feb5664°FOutside
Mar5866°FOutside
Apr6472°FFishable
May6876°FPeak
Junnow7482°FPeak
Jul7884°FPeak
Aug7884°FPeak
Sep7682°FPeak
Oct7078°FPeak
Nov6472°FFishable
Dec6068°FOutside

Best months

May, June, September, October

Live bait — blue runners, ribbonfish, hardtails — slow-trolled on the leading edge of the temperature push. Spring migration north and fall migration south are the highest-density windows.

Verify with current SST imagery

These ranges are climatological norms. Actual SST varies year over year — get an SST satellite shot the day before you run.

Live SST imagery for Cape Hatteras & Point Offshore.

Bield: Fish overlays current NOAA CoastWatch SST onto your chartplotter view and alerts you when Cape Hatteras & Point Offshore hits king mackerel's optimal 7280°F window.

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