Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bay · Florida

Garfield Cut

27.52°N · 80.33°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel

80/100Great
Now
5810 AM EDT
Best window
4-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 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: Wed · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score58Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.1 kn · toward ENE
Wind2 kn SWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 7 s
Air temp82°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy73% cloud
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 yesterday

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

Garfield Cut

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
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 Garfield Cut

Garfield Cut is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and common snook, and shoulder season for little tunny, weakfish, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
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.
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 →
  • Old Inlet

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    79
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 79
    • Common snook 77
    • Crevalle jack 77

    2 kt SWL 2:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:54 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Fish House Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    74
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 74
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    2 kt SWL 2:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:54 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Blue Hole Creek

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    74
    Top: Southern flounderPeak season
    • Southern flounder 74
    • Crevalle jack 73
    • Red drum 72

    2 kt SWL 2:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:54 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Garfield Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Common snook 69
    • Crevalle jack 69

    2 kt SWL 2:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:54 PM · 1.3 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.