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Spanish mackerelRetention openChannel · Florida
Whale Harbor Channel
24.94°N · 80.61°W · Channel · Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 357 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Whale Harbor 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
50Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
76Wind: 0 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 84°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
27Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)
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 (10 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
- 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 Check regulations
- 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)
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Out of season for Spanish mackerel · shoulder season starts next week
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Whale Harbor Channel
- Depth
- 3-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Whale Harbor Channel
Whale Harbor Channel is a channel in Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound. Depth is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, bonefish, red drum and permit. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and 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.
- 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.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Barley Basin78
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 78
- Crevalle jack 75
- Atlantic tarpon 69
0 kt EH 9:48 PM · 0.6 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.3 ft
- Snake Creek75
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 75
- Common snook 73
- Red drum 69
0 kt SH 8:21 PM · 1.0 ftL 3:00 AM · 0.3 ft
- Windley Harbor71
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 71
- Crevalle jack 67
- Atlantic tarpon 57
0 kt SL 2:04 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:48 AM · 1.6 ft
- Whale Harbor70
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Crevalle jack 65
- Bonefish 56
0 kt SL 1:55 AM · 0.2 ftH 7:39 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.