Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bay · Florida

Apalachicola Bay

29.67°N · 84.98°W · Bay · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel

71/100Great
Now
577 AM EDT
Best window
12-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.6 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: Fri · 78

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score57Good
Tide1.6 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward ESE
Wind6 kn NEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy43% cloud
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier 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
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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
  • 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 · 1 more week at shoulder

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Apalachicola Bay

Depth
9-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · 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 Apalachicola Bay

Apalachicola Bay is a bay in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.

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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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 →
  • Two Mile Channel

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Gray snapper 67
    • Red drum 67

    6 kt NEL 8:42 AM · 1.3 ftH 1:56 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Higgins Shoal

    Bar · 3.9 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Red drum 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 60

    6 kt NEL 8:36 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:37 PM · 1.8 ft

  • All Tides Cove

    Bay · 3.9 mi

    62
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Atlantic tarpon 58

    6 kt NEL 7:34 AM · 1.7 ftH 1:01 PM · 2.3 ft

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 3.9 mi

    62
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Atlantic tarpon 58

    6 kt NEL 7:34 AM · 1.7 ftH 1:01 PM · 2.3 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.