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Spanish mackerelRetention openBar · Florida
Suwannee Reef
29.27°N · 83.18°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano81
- Red drum80
- Spanish mackerel79
- Spotted seatrout77
- King mackerel76
- Black drum74
- Gray triggerfish72
- Red grouper72
- Red snapper72
- Gray snapper70
- Sheepshead69
- Wahoo56
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Permit35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 795 PM EST
- Best window
- 5-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Suwannee 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
Tuesday, Nov 3 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
56Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
98Water temp: 74°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable 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 (5 per day)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
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
Suwannee Reef
- Depth
- 5-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · Semi-exposedReef · 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 Suwannee Reef
Suwannee Reef is a bar in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, red drum and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, red drum, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black drum, gray triggerfish and red grouper. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October 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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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 Pass82
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 82
- Florida pompano 81
- Spotted seatrout 78
8 kt ENEH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:59 AM · 1.8 ft
- Ranch Bar Gap81
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 81
- Spanish mackerel 79
- Spotted seatrout 78
8 kt ENEH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:59 AM · 1.8 ft
- Halfmoon Reef81
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 81
- Red drum 80
- Spanish mackerel 78
8 kt ENEH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:59 AM · 1.8 ft
- White Shell Bar Gap81
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 81
- Spanish mackerel 79
- Red drum 76
8 kt ENEH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:59 AM · 1.8 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.