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King mackerelRetention openBar · Florida
Cape Haze Reef
26.78°N · 82.15°W · Bar · Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Gray snapper76
- Common snook75
- Red drum75
- Black drum67
- Red snapper67
- Gag grouper65
- Permit65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Gray triggerfish64
- Red grouper64
- Spanish mackerel63
- Florida pompano62
- King mackerel60
- Southern flounder59
- Greater amberjack58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Crevalle jack56
- Cobia53
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 10 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6010 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Haze Reef 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
80Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
77Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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. 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- 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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cape Haze Reef
- Depth
- 2-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Inner · Semi-exposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Cape Haze Reef
Cape Haze Reef is a bar in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, red snapper, gag grouper and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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 croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- Charlotte Harbor80
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 80
- Atlantic croaker 77
- Gray snapper 75
3 kt ESEH 2:07 AM · 1.5 ftL 6:57 AM · 1.0 ft
- The Cutoff80
Channel · 2.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 80
- Atlantic croaker 79
- Red drum 76
3 kt ESEH 2:07 AM · 1.5 ftL 6:57 AM · 1.0 ft
- Cape Haze Bay79
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 79
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Gray snapper 73
3 kt ESEH 2:07 AM · 1.5 ftL 6:57 AM · 1.0 ft
- Turtle Bay79
Bay · 2.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 79
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Gray snapper 73
3 kt ESEH 2:07 AM · 1.5 ftL 6:57 AM · 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.