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Spanish mackerelRetention openChannel · Florida
Little Pass
30.09°N · 84.22°W · Channel · Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Red drum74
- Gray snapper72
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Permit64
- Southern flounder64
- Black drum62
- Crevalle jack62
- Spanish mackerel61
- Florida pompano59
- Spotted seatrout57
- Gag grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Cobia53
- Gray triggerfish52
- King mackerel52
- Red grouper52
- Greater amberjack47
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Mahi-mahi37
- Wahoo36
- Sheepshead35
- Sailfish34
Best score today · 11 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 6110 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Little Pass 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
87Wind: 2 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
75Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Spanish mackerel
Retention open- Daily limit
- 15 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 12 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Beach or haul seine, cast net, hook and line, or spear. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spanish Mackerel, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (10 per day)
- Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
- Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
- Crevalle jack Retention open
- Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
- Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (5 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Little Pass
- Depth
- Up to 2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Outer · Semi-exposedPass · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpanish 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 Little Pass
Little Pass is a channel in Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sprague Point74
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
2 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:48 AM · 1.6 ft
- Big Pass74
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 72
- Atlantic tarpon 71
2 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:48 AM · 1.6 ft
- Kitchen Cove73
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
2 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:48 AM · 1.6 ft
- Register Bayou72
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
2 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:48 AM · 1.6 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 FWC before you keep a fish.