Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Bar · Florida

Black Ledge

25.59°N · 80.25°W · Bar · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel

75/100Great
Now
631 AM EDT
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score77Great
Tide2.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward ENE
Wind3 kn NNWgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 6 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water82°FBias corrected

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 (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)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • 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 King mackerel is best here

Peak season for King mackerel · 21 more weeks at peak

King mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for King mackerel · 21 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Black Ledge

Depth
6-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Black Ledge

Black Ledge is a bar in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 6-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Biscayne Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    70
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 70
    • Crevalle jack 66
    • Red drum 63

    6 kt ENEH 1:29 AM · 2.2 ftL 8:15 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Deering Bay Channel

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • Red drum 61

    8 kt EH 1:49 AM · 2.6 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Shoal Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    64
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 64
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Red drum 56

    8 kt EH 1:49 AM · 2.6 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Paradise Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    64
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 64
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Red drum 56

    8 kt EH 1:49 AM · 2.6 ftL 8:51 AM · 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.