Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bay · Florida

Fort Pierce Inlet

27.47°N · 80.29°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel

85/100Epic
Now
597 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High3.1 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: Tue · 90

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score59Good
Tide3.1 ftHigh
CurrentFlood2.2 kn · toward WSW
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 7 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherOvercast80% chance of rain
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 (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)
  • King mackerel Retention open (2 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)
  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder

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

Spanish mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Fort Pierce Inlet

Depth
5-30 ftSlope
Structure
Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
Season
Shoulder 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 Fort Pierce Inlet

Fort Pierce Inlet is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 5-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and weakfish. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

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

View all on map →
  • Fort Pierce Inlet Entrance Range

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 73
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Common snook 72

    4 kt ENEL 12:46 AM · 1.0 ftH 7:01 AM · 3.1 ft

  • Tucker Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Common snook 67
    • Crevalle jack 66

    4 kt ENEL 1:05 AM · 0.4 ftH 7:22 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Dynamite Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Atlantic croaker 63

    4 kt ENEL 1:05 AM · 0.4 ftH 7:22 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Boot Toe Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Atlantic croaker 63

    4 kt ENEL 1:05 AM · 0.4 ftH 7:22 AM · 2.1 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.