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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all73
- King mackerel73
- Spanish mackerel73
- Gray triggerfish66
- Florida pompano65
- Gray snapper65
- Red grouper65
- Common snook63
- Red drum63
- Spotted seatrout61
- Black drum60
- Sheepshead59
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 AM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 7312 PM 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 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
Monday, Nov 9 · 12 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
78Wind: 13 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.7 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)
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
Sanibel Rocks
- Depth
- 4-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · 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 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 king mackerel, Spanish mackerel and gray triggerfish. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano, red drum and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, gray triggerfish, gray snapper and red grouper. King mackerel peak in May and in October. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Gray triggerfish peak from May through August.
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.
- 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.
- Gray triggerfish
- Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tarpon Bay78
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 78
- Red drum 76
- Common snook 75
10 kt EL 2:27 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:44 PM · 1.9 ft
- Saint James Point73
Cape · 3.7 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 73
- Red drum 71
- Common snook 70
10 kt EL 1:50 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:05 PM · 2.1 ft
- Coral Creek Inlet71
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 71
- Common snook 68
- Red drum 65
14 kt ENEL 12:42 PM · 0.5 ftH 7:49 PM · 2.1 ft
- Long Point69
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 69
- Common snook 66
- Red drum 66
14 kt ENEL 3:20 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:19 PM · 1.6 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.