Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Channel · Florida

Biscayne Waterway

25.82°N · 80.13°W · Channel · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel

79/100Great
Now
3210 AM EDT
Best window
1-5 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score32Fair
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward ESE
Wind1 kn Egusts 6 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 5 s
Air temp82°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy83% cloud
Water85°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

King mackerel

Retention open
Daily limit
2 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. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: King 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)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 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 Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • 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

Biscayne Waterway

Depth
1-7 ft
Structure
Channel · Inner · Protected
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 Biscayne Waterway

Biscayne Waterway is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 1-7 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

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, permit, bonefish 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

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.
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

  • Indian Creek

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    70
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 70
    • Crevalle jack 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 66

    1 kt EL 11:54 AM · 0.8 ftH 5:55 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Surprise Waterway

    Gut · 0.6 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Crevalle jack 63

    1 kt EL 11:06 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:19 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Main Channel

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 64

    1 kt EL 11:18 AM · 0.9 ftH 5:16 PM · 2.1 ft

  • Meloy Channel

    Channel · 3.1 mi

    61
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 61
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Atlantic tarpon 57

    1 kt EH 4:33 PM · 2.5 ftL 10:44 PM · 1.2 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.