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Spanish mackerelRetention openBay · Florida
Chicopit Bay
30.38°N · 81.46°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack77
- King mackerel72
- Red drum72
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Summer flounder70
- Gray snapper68
- Atlantic croaker66
- Spanish mackerel65
- Spot64
- Southern flounder63
- Weakfish60
- Little tunny59
- Spotted seatrout59
- Florida pompano58
- Cobia57
- Greater amberjack57
- Black sea bass52
- Gray triggerfish51
- Red snapper51
- Red grouper50
- Black drum47
- Mahi-mahi45
- Sheepshead45
- Wahoo41
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 10 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 6511 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chicopit Bay 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.9 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade 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 (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)
- King mackerel Retention open (2 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)
- 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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Chicopit Bay
- Depth
- 8-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Chicopit Bay
Chicopit Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 8-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, red drum and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, weakfish, little tunny and Florida pompano. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Mile Point Lower Range and Turn78
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 78
- King mackerel 75
- Gray snapper 74
10 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft
- Sherman Cut Range75
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 75
- Gray snapper 71
- King mackerel 71
10 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft
- Training Wall Reach74
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Crevalle jack 72
- Spot 70
10 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft
- Mayport Cut Range74
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 74
- Gray snapper 69
- King mackerel 69
10 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 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.