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Spanish mackerelRetention openBay · Florida
Shell Point Cove
29.68°N · 84.80°W · Bay · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Red drum63
- King mackerel61
- Florida pompano60
- Spotted seatrout57
- Red snapper56
- Gray snapper54
- Black drum53
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Sheepshead52
- Wahoo46
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Permit32
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 7 AM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 6412 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shell Point Cove 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 4 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 1 kt SSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
99Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier 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
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- 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
Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 3 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Shell Point Cove
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Shell Point Cove
Shell Point Cove is a bay in Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, red drum and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, red drum, Florida pompano and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, red snapper, gray snapper and black drum. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. King mackerel peak in May and in 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- East Pelican Reef65
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: King mackerelShoulder season- King mackerel 65
- Red snapper 65
- Spanish mackerel 64
12 kt ENEL 12:50 AM · 1.8 ftH 5:28 AM · 2.5 ft
- Shell Point64
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 64
- Red drum 63
- King mackerel 62
12 kt ENEL 12:50 AM · 1.8 ftH 5:28 AM · 2.5 ft
- Rattlesnake Cove64
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 64
- Red drum 63
- King mackerel 62
12 kt ENEL 12:50 AM · 1.8 ftH 5:28 AM · 2.5 ft
- East Cove64
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 64
- Red drum 63
- King mackerel 61
12 kt ENEL 12:50 AM · 1.8 ftH 5:28 AM · 2.5 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.