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Spanish mackerelRetention openGut · Florida
Hannah Mills Creek
30.41°N · 81.47°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Spot68
- Southern flounder66
- Red drum65
- Gray snapper63
- Crevalle jack62
- Summer flounder61
- Florida pompano58
- King mackerel57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Black drum56
- Weakfish55
- Spanish mackerel53
- Black sea bass52
- Red snapper47
- Sheepshead47
- Little tunny46
- Cobia45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red grouper44
- Greater amberjack40
- Mahi-mahi40
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Wahoo35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 3 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 536 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hannah Mills Creek 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
54Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of 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
Hannah Mills Creek
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- 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 Hannah Mills Creek
Hannah Mills Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 2-5 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, Atlantic tarpon and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, spot and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Spot peak from September through October.
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 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Mile Point Lower Range and Turn79
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Spot 74
5 kt NNEH 7:12 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ft
- Deep Creek78
Gut · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 78
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Red drum 73
5 kt NNEH 7:22 AM · 4.4 ftL 1:24 PM · 1.0 ft
- Mayport Cut Range75
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
- Red drum 69
5 kt NNEH 6:47 AM · 4.7 ftL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ft
- Training Wall Reach74
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 69
- Atlantic tarpon 69
5 kt NNEH 7:12 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:07 PM · 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.