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King mackerelRetention openChannel · Florida
Southwest Gate
25.92°N · 81.62°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Florida pompano68
- Common snook67
- Gray snapper61
- Red drum61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Spanish mackerel57
- Permit56
- Black drum54
- Crevalle jack53
- Southern flounder53
- King mackerel50
- Yellowfin tuna49
- Gag grouper47
- Spotted seatrout47
- Cobia45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Mahi-mahi45
- Sailfish45
- Red grouper44
- Red snapper44
- Wahoo41
- Greater amberjack40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 5012 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High3.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Southwest Gate 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
30Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 2 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable 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
Southwest Gate
- Depth
- 1-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Southwest Gate
Southwest Gate is a channel in Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Florida pompano and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Coon Gravy Gate77
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Florida pompano 68
- Common snook 67
2 kt SEL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 3.6 ft
- Sugar Bay74
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Common snook 67
- Florida pompano 67
3 kt ESEL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 3.6 ft
- Blackwater Bay74
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Florida pompano 68
- Common snook 67
2 kt SEL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 3.6 ft
- Ghost Cove74
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Florida pompano 68
- Common snook 67
2 kt SEL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 3.6 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.