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Spanish mackerelRetention openGut · Florida
Kingsley Creek
30.62°N · 81.49°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack75
- Atlantic croaker73
- Atlantic tarpon73
- Red drum71
- Gray snapper70
- King mackerel69
- Summer flounder69
- Southern flounder68
- Spot68
- Florida pompano67
- Spanish mackerel63
- Spotted seatrout63
- Black sea bass61
- Weakfish61
- Black drum59
- Little tunny56
- Cobia53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Sheepshead53
- Greater amberjack52
- Mahi-mahi44
- Wahoo39
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 636 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding5.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Kingsley 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.9 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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 today
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
Kingsley Creek
- Depth
- 3-10 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 Kingsley Creek
Kingsley Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and weakfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Seymour Point76
Cape · 3.5 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 76
- Atlantic tarpon 73
- King mackerel 70
11 kt NEH 7:36 PM · 4.8 ftL 2:17 AM · 0.8 ft
- Rayonier Reach72
Channel · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Crevalle jack 69
- Spot 68
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- City Front Reach72
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Crevalle jack 69
- Spot 68
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- Seaboard Reach72
Channel · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Crevalle jack 70
- Spot 67
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 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.