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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot70
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Common snook68
- Crevalle jack66
- Gray snapper64
- Summer flounder63
- Red drum62
- Southern flounder61
- King mackerel59
- Weakfish58
- Black drum54
- Black sea bass54
- Red snapper54
- Spotted seatrout52
- Gray triggerfish51
- Little tunny51
- Red grouper51
- Florida pompano50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Sheepshead48
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack45
- Wahoo43
- Mahi-mahi38
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 594 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bessie Cove 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt SSEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
34Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
89Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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 Catch & release (No retention)
- 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 (2 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
Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bessie Cove
- Depth
- 2-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Bessie Cove
Bessie Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 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 common snook, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, black sea bass and red snapper. 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
- Saint Lucie Inlet78
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 78
- Common snook 77
- Atlantic croaker 74
4 kt SSEH 6:39 AM · 1.9 ftL 12:26 PM · 0.3 ft
- Negro Cove72
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Common snook 68
4 kt SSEH 5:45 AM · 3.3 ftL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ft
- North Point70
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
4 kt SSEH 6:39 AM · 1.9 ftL 12:26 PM · 0.3 ft
- Baker Point68
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
4 kt SSEH 5:45 AM · 3.3 ftL 12:06 PM · 0.8 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.