Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bar · Florida

Gilbert Shoal

27.21°N · 80.15°W · Bar · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 2 PM · Spanish mackerel

73/100Great
Now
607 AM EDT
Best window
2-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.1 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: today · 73

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score60Good
Tide3.1 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind3 kn SWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 7 s
Air temp76°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

Gilbert Shoal

Depth
35-45 ftSlope
Structure
Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · 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 Gilbert Shoal

Gilbert Shoal is a bar in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 35-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, spot and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black drum, Florida pompano and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Spot peak from September 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.
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.
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 →
  • Negro Cove

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spot 73
    • Crevalle jack 70

    3 kt SWL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:14 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Bessie Cove

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spot 73
    • Crevalle jack 70

    3 kt SWL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:14 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Baker Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 68
    • Common snook 67

    3 kt SWL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:14 PM · 3.5 ft

  • North Point

    Cape · 2.9 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 68
    • Common snook 62

    3 kt SWL 12:26 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:18 PM · 2.2 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.