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Spanish mackerelRetention openChannel · Florida
East Pass
28.99°N · 82.75°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Common snook75
- Red drum74
- Gray snapper72
- Spanish mackerel68
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Crevalle jack67
- Southern flounder65
- Black drum64
- Florida pompano64
- Permit63
- Gag grouper60
- King mackerel58
- Red snapper57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Cobia56
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Greater amberjack51
- Yellowfin tuna49
- Sailfish48
- Wahoo43
- Mahi-mahi42
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 689 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East Pass 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
76Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 5 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
78Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
76Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 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 (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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
East Pass
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Outer · Semi-exposedPass · 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 East Pass
East Pass is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Red drum peak from September through November.
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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Demory Gap76
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Common snook 73
- Gray snapper 72
5 kt NEH 12:05 PM · 4.0 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ft
- Doghead Gap76
Gut · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Common snook 73
- Gray snapper 72
5 kt NEH 12:05 PM · 4.0 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ft
- Grassy Creek75
Gut · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 73
- Gray snapper 72
5 kt NEH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ftL 7:59 PM · 0.8 ft
- Buckford Creek75
Gut · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 73
- Common snook 72
5 kt NEH 12:05 PM · 4.0 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.7 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.