Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

French Cape

29.91°N · 81.28°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel

79/100Great
Now
5012 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.2 ft ▼

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Mon · 80

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score50Good
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind3 kn Ngusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherClear5% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

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

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

Spanish mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

French Cape

Depth
5-30 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · 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 French Cape

French Cape is a cape in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, red drum and spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and little tunny. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Devils Elbow

    Bend · 12 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 77
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spot 71

    3 kt NEL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:31 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Murat Point

    Cape · 9.5 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 75
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Spot 71

    3 kt NEL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:31 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Saint Augustine Inlet

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Red drum 63

    3 kt NH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ftL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Vilano Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Red drum 63

    3 kt NH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ftL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.