Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bar · Florida

Bache Shoal

25.48°N · 80.15°W · Bar · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel

74/100Great
Now
628 AM EST
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.7 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 6 · 11 PM

Time11P
Score65Great
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.9 kn · toward ESE
Wind4 kn WNWgusts 7
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 8 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water82°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

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 (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (2 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 Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Bache Shoal

Depth
25-30 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · 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 Bache Shoal

Bache Shoal is a bar in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 25-30 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are common snook, crevalle jack and king mackerel. It is peak season now for common snook, crevalle jack, king mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano, Atlantic tarpon and black drum. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. King mackerel peak from November through March.

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.
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

  • Sands Cut

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    71
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 71
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Red drum 65

    6 kt EL 9:25 AM · 0.3 ftH 3:11 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Legare Anchorage

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    69
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • King mackerel 68
    • Spanish mackerel 60

    6 kt EH 1:21 PM · 2.9 ftL 7:36 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Sea Grape Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    66
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 66
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • King mackerel 63

    6 kt EH 1:21 PM · 2.9 ftL 7:36 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Bowles Bank

    Bar · 1.9 mi

    62
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 62
    • King mackerel 62
    • Crevalle jack 59

    6 kt EH 2:45 PM · 2.0 ftL 9:19 PM · 0.7 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.