The grounds · 180 ft · banks, ledges and wrecks

King Mackerel

Scomberomorus cavalla. Prime water reaches Cape Hatteras in Southeast Atlantic right now (83°F at the surface). Fish it 7–131 ft down — that is where 85–81°F water sits off Cape Hatteras.

King Mackerel identification illustration
LaneThe grounds · 30 fa (180 ft)
Depth it holds39–197 ft
Prime water70–84°F (workable 70–89°F)
Holds in the column7–131 ft down below the surface, over 39–197 ft of water
Judged onsurface temperature (NASA MUR satellite)
Structureprefers

The water column off Cape Hatteras

0 ft90 ft179 ft125 ft of workable water7–131 ft · 85–81°F

The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 179 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where King Mackerel's temperature band (70–89°F) and the depth it holds actually overlap. That thickness is the number that matters: it is how much water you can work, not just whether the spot is warm enough somewhere. One model cycle, not a weekly archive — this holds still while the surface map scrubs.

How it's fished

Slow-troll live bait over reefs, wrecks and bait schools; wire leader.

Region by region — right now

RegionSeasonPrime waterTempFish it atMonths
Southeast Atlantic in season reaches Cape Hatteras 83°F 7–131 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
Gulf of Mexico in season reaches Tampa 86°F 7–131 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Florida Keys off-season reaches Islamorada 87°F 7–131 ft
J
F
M
A
M
J
"Fish it at" is where this species' temperature band and its holding depth overlap in the water column, from the RTOFS profile (13 levels, 0–300 m) — the depth to actually put a bait, not just the place. "Prime water" is the furthest sampled station on the 30-fathom lane whose surface temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 30-fathom lane
Flower Garden Banks