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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Florida pompano62
- King mackerel59
- Red drum56
- Black drum55
- Common snook55
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Spotted seatrout54
- Gray snapper52
- Sheepshead49
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 AM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 642 PM EST
- Best window
- 5-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sanibel Rocks 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 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
95Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
95Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier 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
- 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)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 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 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)
- 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 2 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sanibel Rocks
- Depth
- 4-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Sanibel Rocks
Sanibel Rocks is a bar in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black drum, common snook and gray triggerfish. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and in October.
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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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
- Coral Creek Inlet73
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 73
- Florida pompano 71
- Common snook 70
13 kt EH 7:49 PM · 2.1 ftL 1:04 AM · 1.4 ft
- Tarpon Bay65
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 65
- Red drum 64
- Florida pompano 63
9 kt EL 2:27 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:44 PM · 1.9 ft
- Long Point63
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 63
- Common snook 61
- Red drum 61
13 kt EL 3:20 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:19 PM · 1.6 ft
- Saint James Point58
Cape · 3.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 58
- Spanish mackerel 57
- Red drum 56
9 kt EH 9:05 PM · 2.1 ftL 2:07 AM · 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.