Single-zone SST guide

King Mackerel water temperature at Charleston Offshore & Georgia Bight.

  • Scomberomorus cavalla
  • Pelagic
  • August: fair

Typical August SST in Charleston Offshore & Georgia Bight is 80–86°F. King Mackerel prefer 68–84°F with peak activity in 72–80°F.

SST threshold

King Mackerel threshold gauge.

50°55°60°65°70°75°80°85°90°Peak 72–80°
Outside toleranceSuboptimalGoodPeak·Dashed line = hard threshold

Year-round overlap

Charleston Offshore & Georgia Bight SST × King Mackerel range.

Where Charleston Offshore & Georgia Bight typical monthly SST overlaps with king mackerel's preferred and optimal ranges, the species is in range.

Best months

April, May, June, September, October, November

MonthZone SSTStatus
Jan62–70°FFishable
Feb60–68°FOutside
Mar64–72°FFishable
Apr70–76°FPeak
May74–80°FPeak
Jun78–84°FPeak
Jul80–86°FFishable
Augnow80–86°FFishable
Sep78–84°FPeak
Oct74–80°FPeak
Nov68–76°FPeak
Dec64–72°FFishable

Best months

April, May, October, November

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 Charleston Offshore & Georgia Bight.

Bield: Fish overlays current NOAA CoastWatch SST onto your chartplotter view and alerts you when Charleston Offshore & Georgia Bight hits king mackerel's optimal 72–80°F window.

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