Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Turtle Point

25.42°N · 80.33°W · Cape · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

75/100Great
Now
352 PM EDT
Best window
7-9 PMDusk
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Sep 25 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score35Fair
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.3 kn · toward NW
Wind3 kn Ngusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 10 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water86°FModel

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

Turtle Point

Depth
1-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Turtle Point

Turtle Point is a cape in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

  • Midnight Pass

    Channel · 2.9 mi

    76
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 76
    • Common snook 74
    • Atlantic tarpon 74

    4 kt ENEH 5:27 PM · 1.1 ftL 11:43 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Mangrove Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    67
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 67
    • Common snook 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    4 kt ENEH 5:27 PM · 1.1 ftL 11:43 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Pelican Bank

    Bar · 2.9 mi

    67
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 67
    • Common snook 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    4 kt ENEH 5:01 PM · 1.8 ftL 11:54 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Convoy Point

    Cape · 3.2 mi

    67
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 67
    • Common snook 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    4 kt ENEH 5:01 PM · 1.8 ftL 11:54 PM · 0.9 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.