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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Common snook71
- Crevalle jack67
- Atlantic croaker66
- Gray snapper66
- Red drum64
- Spot64
- Summer flounder64
- Southern flounder63
- King mackerel59
- Weakfish58
- Little tunny54
- Spotted seatrout54
- Spanish mackerel51
- Black drum49
- Black sea bass48
- Cobia48
- Red snapper48
- Greater amberjack46
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red grouper45
- Sheepshead43
- Florida pompano42
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi36
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish29
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 512 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-10 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Head 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 · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
86Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 2 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
47Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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)
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Head Cove
- Depth
- 2-4 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 Head Cove
Head Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, common snook and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, common snook, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for weakfish, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Head Cove Pocket72
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Common snook 71
- Crevalle jack 67
2 kt SSEL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Starvation Point72
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Common snook 71
- Gray snapper 66
2 kt SSEL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Round Island72
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Common snook 71
- Crevalle jack 67
2 kt SSEL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ft
- Porpoise Bay72
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Common snook 71
- Crevalle jack 67
2 kt SSEL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:44 AM · 0.9 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.