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King mackerelRetention openBay · Florida
Little Madeira Bay
25.19°N · 80.63°W · Bay · Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 358 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Little Madeira Bay 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
80Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
25Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)
King mackerel
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 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. FWC applies the Gulf king mackerel rules to all of Monroe County. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: King 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Check regulations
- Permit Retention open (1 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- 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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Out of season for King mackerel · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Little Madeira Bay
- Depth
- 4-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Little Madeira Bay
Little Madeira Bay is a bay in Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound. Depth is 4-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, common snook and permit. It is peak season now for crevalle jack and common snook, and shoulder season for permit, Atlantic tarpon, red drum and bonefish. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Permit peak from March through June.
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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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
- Eagle Key Pass83
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 83
- Crevalle jack 80
- Atlantic tarpon 75
6 kt ESEH 9:36 AM · 0.4 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.1 ft
- Madeira Bay74
Bay · 3.8 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 74
- Common snook 70
- Atlantic tarpon 70
5 kt EH 9:36 AM · 0.4 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.1 ft
- Mud Creek72
Gut · 3.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 72
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Crevalle jack 68
6 kt ESEH 11:58 AM · 0.5 ftL 7:01 PM · 0.2 ft
- Alligator Bay68
Bay · 3.8 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
6 kt ESEH 11:58 AM · 0.5 ftL 7:01 PM · 0.2 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.