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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 686 PM EST
- Best window
- 6-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Florida Anchorage scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Tuesday, Nov 10 · 1 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt WSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 82°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cape Florida Anchorage
- Depth
- 15-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- 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 Cape Florida Anchorage
Cape Florida Anchorage is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and common snook. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, gray snapper, Atlantic tarpon and black drum. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. King mackerel peak from November through March. Common snook 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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cape Florida Channel77
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 77
- Common snook 75
- Red drum 72
10 kt EL 8:18 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ft
- Biscayne Channel77
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 77
- Common snook 75
- Red drum 72
10 kt EL 8:18 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ft
- South Basin77
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 77
- Common snook 74
- Red drum 71
10 kt EL 9:12 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:52 AM · 2.3 ft
- Cape Florida74
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Crevalle jack 73
- King mackerel 71
10 kt EL 8:18 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:19 AM · 2.4 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.