Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Burnt Point

24.76°N · 80.99°W · Cape · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge

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Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel

70/100Great
Now
3311 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score33Fair
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind14 kn SEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp83°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy65% chance of rain
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)

IN EFFECT NOW

King mackerel

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 24 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Hook and line and spearing only. FWC applies the Gulf king mackerel rules to all of Monroe County. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: King 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Check regulations
  • Permit Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish 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 Catch & release (No retention)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Out of season for King mackerel · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

King mackerel season by week of the year. Out of season for King mackerel · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in Florida

Spot profile

Burnt Point

Depth
4-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Off 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 Burnt Point

Burnt Point is a cape in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 4-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gray snapper, red drum and red grouper. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June.

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.
Common snook
Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Key Vaca Cut

    Channel · 3.2 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 63

    14 kt SEL 1:01 AM · 0.7 ftH 7:03 AM · 2.0 ft

  • Toms Harbor

    Bay · 4.2 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Gray snapper 58

    14 kt SEH 1:53 AM · 0.6 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Grassy Key Bank

    Bar · 2.5 mi

    65
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 65
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Red grouper 55

    14 kt SEH 2:26 AM · 1.1 ftL 8:25 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    63
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 63
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Atlantic tarpon 55

    14 kt SEL 12:48 AM · 0.9 ftH 7:15 AM · 2.4 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.