Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bar · Florida

Black Ledge

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

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel

76/100Great
Now
611 PM EST
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 9 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score69Great
Tide2.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind4 kn NNWgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 4 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy25% 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

Black Ledge

Depth
6-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 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 king mackerel, common snook and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for king mackerel, common snook, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for red grouper, Florida pompano, gray snapper and greater amberjack. King mackerel peak from November through March. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Biscayne Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    71
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 71
    • Common snook 70
    • King mackerel 63

    9 kt EH 2:16 PM · 2.3 ftL 8:57 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Deering Bay Channel

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Red drum 62

    6 kt EH 2:38 PM · 2.6 ftL 9:18 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Shoal Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    64
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 64
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • King mackerel 60

    6 kt EH 2:38 PM · 2.6 ftL 9:18 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Paradise Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    64
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 64
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • King mackerel 60

    6 kt EH 2:38 PM · 2.6 ftL 9:18 PM · 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.