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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum79
- Spotted seatrout76
- Spanish mackerel74
- Common snook72
- King mackerel68
- Gray snapper63
- Florida pompano62
- Black drum61
- Gray triggerfish59
- Red grouper59
- Sheepshead58
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 6811 AM EST
- Best window
- 5-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Murdock Bayou 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
Sunday, Nov 8 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
78Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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 Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- 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)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Murdock Bayou
- Depth
- 1-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Murdock Bayou
Murdock Bayou is a bay in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, spotted seatrout and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, gray snapper and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- The Narrows80
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Common snookShoulder season- Common snook 80
- Spanish mackerel 80
- Red drum 77
10 kt EL 1:44 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:32 PM · 1.6 ft
- Primo Bay78
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookShoulder season- Common snook 78
- Spanish mackerel 78
- Red drum 76
10 kt EL 1:32 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:17 PM · 1.4 ft
- Platt Point74
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 74
- Common snook 72
- Red drum 72
10 kt EL 1:44 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:32 PM · 1.6 ft
- Primo Point74
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookShoulder season- Common snook 74
- Spanish mackerel 74
- Red drum 72
10 kt EL 1:32 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:17 PM · 1.4 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.