Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Channel · Florida

Ponce de Leon Inlet

29.07°N · 80.92°W · Channel · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

83/100Great
Now
627 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.1 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: today · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score62Good
Tide3.1 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind4 kn NWgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 7 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy71% cloud
Water82°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

King mackerel

Retention open
Daily limit
2 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 (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • 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 (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak

King mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Ponce de Leon Inlet

Depth
7-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
Season
Peak 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 Ponce de Leon Inlet

Ponce de Leon Inlet is a channel in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 7-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and mahi-mahi. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

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.
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.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Ponce de Leon Cut

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    81
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 81
    • Spot 76
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    4 kt NWL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:18 PM · 3.2 ft

  • Inlet Harbor

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    79
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Spot 78
    • Florida pompano 66

    4 kt NWL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:18 PM · 3.2 ft

  • Blind Spruce Creek

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 77
    • Spot 75
    • Crevalle jack 61

    4 kt NWL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:18 PM · 3.2 ft

  • Bass Flats

    Flat · 0.6 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 68

    4 kt NWL 12:20 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:54 PM · 3.7 ft

Open in the tide map

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.