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King mackerelRetention openBay · Florida
East Bay
29.76°N · 84.92°W · Bay · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum72
- Atlantic croaker70
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Gray snapper66
- Spanish mackerel65
- Crevalle jack63
- Gag grouper60
- King mackerel59
- Gray triggerfish56
- Permit56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Southern flounder56
- Black drum55
- Cobia54
- Florida pompano52
- Greater amberjack52
- Spotted seatrout50
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi41
- Sailfish37
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 597 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East Bay 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 1 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
King mackerel
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 24 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Hook and line and spearing only. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: King 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)
- 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)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Last week of shoulder season for King mackerel · peak season next
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
East Bay
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKing 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 East Bay
East Bay is a bay in Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-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, crevalle jack and gag grouper. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
Tackle & technique
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
- 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
- Blounts Bay75
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
1 kt NEL 9:55 PM · 0.6 ftH 4:38 AM · 1.8 ft
- Big Bay74
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 68
1 kt NEL 9:28 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:01 AM · 1.7 ft
- Long Point72
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
1 kt NEL 9:28 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:01 AM · 1.7 ft
- Cat Point72
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
1 kt NEH 11:25 PM · 2.1 ftL 4:43 AM · 1.2 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.