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Spanish mackerelRetention openChannel · Florida
Main Ship Channel
29.09°N · 83.06°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all68
- Spanish mackerel68
- King mackerel66
- Red drum65
- Florida pompano63
- Spotted seatrout63
- Black drum60
- Gray snapper58
- Sheepshead58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Wahoo47
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Permit35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 7 AM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 6810 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Main Ship Channel 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
Tuesday, Nov 10 · 4 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
92Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & 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 Closed (No retention)
- 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 (5 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 · 2 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Main Ship Channel
- Depth
- 4-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Main Ship Channel
Main Ship Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, red drum, Florida pompano and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black drum, gray snapper and sheepshead. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and in 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- East Bank68
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 68
- King mackerel 65
- Red drum 65
12 kt ENEL 2:06 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:52 PM · 2.8 ft
- West Bank68
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 68
- King mackerel 65
- Red drum 65
12 kt ENEL 2:06 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:52 PM · 2.8 ft
- Piney Point68
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 68
- King mackerel 65
- Red drum 65
12 kt ENEL 2:06 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:52 PM · 2.8 ft
- Deadmans Channel68
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 68
- King mackerel 66
- Red drum 65
12 kt ENEL 2:06 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:52 PM · 2.8 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.