Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Gut · Florida

Angelfish Creek

25.34°N · 80.26°W · Gut · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel

80/100Great
Now
359 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 PM · now

Time9PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind4 kn SSWgusts 12 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherOvercast63% chance of rain
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • 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 Check regulations
  • 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)
  • 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 Spanish mackerel is best here

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

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

Spanish mackerel in Florida

Spot profile

Angelfish Creek

Depth
Up to 15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Off 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 Angelfish Creek

Angelfish Creek is a gut in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is up to 15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Broad Creek

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 66
    • Crevalle jack 61

    4 kt SSWL 2:59 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:09 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Old Rhodes Channel

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 66
    • Crevalle jack 61

    4 kt SSWL 2:59 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:09 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Middle Creek

    Gut · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Crevalle jack 59

    4 kt SSWL 2:51 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:38 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Linderman Creek

    Gut · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Crevalle jack 59

    4 kt SSWL 2:51 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:38 AM · 1.0 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.