Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Bay · Florida

Broward Creek

30.46°N · 81.46°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

79/100Great
Now
552 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score55Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind10 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy100% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

King mackerel

Retention open
Daily limit
2 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 (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak

King mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in Florida

Spot profile

Broward Creek

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Broward Creek

Broward Creek is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, red drum and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Red drum peak from August 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.
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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Nassau Sound

    Bay · 3.4 mi

    60
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • King mackerel 58
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    10 kt NEH 7:03 PM · 5.6 ftL 1:42 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Deep Creek

    Gut · 3.0 mi

    59
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Summer flounder 58

    10 kt NEH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:58 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Horseshoe Creek

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    58
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Red drum 57

    10 kt NEH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Fort George River

    Gut · 2.4 mi

    57
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • Summer flounder 56

    10 kt NEH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.8 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.