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King mackerelRetention openCape · Florida
Black Point
29.18°N · 83.06°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum70
- Atlantic croaker68
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Gray snapper63
- Southern flounder62
- Black drum58
- Permit57
- Crevalle jack55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Gag grouper54
- Red snapper54
- Spotted seatrout54
- Gray triggerfish51
- King mackerel51
- Red grouper51
- Cobia48
- Greater amberjack46
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Florida pompano44
- Sailfish39
- Mahi-mahi37
- Wahoo36
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 514 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Black Point 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
76Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 4 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
33Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
67Season: 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 (5 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Black Point
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Black Point
Black Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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, southern flounder, black drum and permit. 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
- Derrick Key Gap72
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Gray snapper 68
- Red drum 67
4 kt NEL 6:12 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:05 PM · 3.9 ft
- Pelican Reef71
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 70
- Red drum 70
4 kt NEL 6:12 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:05 PM · 3.9 ft
- Number Four Channel70
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Gray snapper 66
- Red drum 65
4 kt NEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft
- Sunset Point68
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Atlantic tarpon 61
4 kt NEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 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.