Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Channel · Florida

West Pass

29.63°N · 85.10°W · Channel · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel

76/100Great
Now
6311 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.7 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: Sun · 81

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score63Good
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind3 kn NNEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water86°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 today

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

West Pass

Depth
10-50 ftSlope
Structure
Pass · Outer · ExposedPass · 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 West Pass

West Pass is a channel in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 10-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads pass, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June 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.
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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Sheepshead Bayou

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 69

    3 kt NNEH 3:22 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:15 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Saint Vincent Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Red drum 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 69

    3 kt NNEH 3:22 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:15 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Paradise Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Red drum 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 69

    3 kt NNEH 3:22 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:15 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Big Bayou

    Bay · 3.5 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 64

    3 kt NEH 6:05 AM · 1.6 ftL 10:47 AM · 1.4 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.