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Spanish mackerelRetention openBar · Florida
Halfmoon Reef
29.27°N · 83.14°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper70
- Red drum70
- Atlantic croaker69
- Gag grouper63
- Spanish mackerel62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Florida pompano61
- Black drum60
- Crevalle jack60
- Gray triggerfish60
- Red grouper60
- Red snapper60
- King mackerel59
- Permit57
- Greater amberjack55
- Southern flounder54
- Spotted seatrout52
- Cobia50
- Sailfish50
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Wahoo43
- Mahi-mahi42
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 628 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-3 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Halfmoon Reef 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
61Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In 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
Halfmoon Reef
- Depth
- 6-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · Semi-exposedReef · 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 Halfmoon Reef
Halfmoon Reef is a bar in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 6-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for gag grouper, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon and Florida pompano. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Wadley Pass73
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 69
- Red drum 68
6 kt NNEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- White Shell Bar Gap73
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 69
- Red drum 68
6 kt NNEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Ranch Bar Gap73
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 69
- Red drum 68
6 kt NNEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Suwannee Reef72
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Gray snapper 71
- Red drum 71
6 kt NNEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 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.