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 · 8 AM · King mackerel

76/100Great
Now
355 AM EDT
Best window
7-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide2.0 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind2 kn ESEgusts 4 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherOvercast98% 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 (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 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

Black Ledge

Depth
6-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
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 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 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, gray snapper and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for gray snapper, Atlantic tarpon, permit and red drum. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Gray snapper peak from May through August. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June.

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

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    2 kt ESEL 10:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:09 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Deering Bay Channel

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    65
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 59
    • Crevalle jack 56

    2 kt ENEL 10:51 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:52 PM · 2.1 ft

  • Shoal Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    59
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 59
    • Crevalle jack 51
    • Atlantic tarpon 51

    2 kt ENEL 10:51 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:52 PM · 2.1 ft

  • Paradise Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    59
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 59
    • Crevalle jack 51
    • Atlantic tarpon 51

    2 kt ENEL 10:51 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:52 PM · 2.1 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.