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Spanish mackerelRetention openBay · Florida
Head Cove Pocket
27.58°N · 80.34°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Crevalle jack70
- Atlantic croaker69
- Common snook68
- Spot67
- Summer flounder66
- Gray snapper63
- King mackerel62
- Red drum62
- Southern flounder60
- Little tunny57
- Weakfish56
- Black sea bass55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Black drum53
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Red snapper52
- Spotted seatrout51
- Cobia49
- Sheepshead49
- Greater amberjack48
- Wahoo48
- Florida pompano45
- Mahi-mahi42
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 553 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Head Cove Pocket 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
71Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
71Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 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 today
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 Pocket
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Pocket
Head Cove Pocket is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and common snook, and shoulder season for little tunny, weakfish, black sea bass and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Starvation Point70
Cape · 0.1 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 68
- Crevalle jack 65
5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Head Cove70
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 70
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Porpoise Bay70
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 70
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Porpoise Point70
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 68
- Crevalle jack 65
5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 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.