Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

King mackerelRetention open

Channel · Florida

Broad Creek

25.35°N · 80.25°W · Channel · Biscayne Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

80/100Great
Now
353 PM EDT
Best window
7-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Broad Creek scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward NW
Wind5 kn Egusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp84°Hot
WeatherOvercast79% chance of rain
Water89°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)

IN EFFECT NOW

King mackerel

Retention open
Daily limit
3 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. FWC applies the Gulf king mackerel rules to all of Monroe County. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: King Mackerel, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 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 Catch & release (No retention)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • 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

Broad Creek

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Broad Creek

Broad Creek is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, common snook and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, gray snapper and red drum. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June. 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

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.
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.
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

  • Old Rhodes Channel

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Common snook 70
    • Crevalle jack 70

    5 kt EH 4:58 PM · 1.3 ftL 12:00 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Angelfish Creek

    Gut · 1.0 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Common snook 70
    • Crevalle jack 70

    5 kt EH 5:49 PM · 0.9 ftL 11:49 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Old Rhodes Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    65
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 65
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 63

    5 kt EH 4:58 PM · 1.3 ftL 12:00 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Cutter Bank

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    65
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 65
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • Red grouper 63

    5 kt EH 4:58 PM · 1.3 ftL 12:00 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.