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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Common snook67
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper63
- Red drum62
- Summer flounder62
- Southern flounder60
- King mackerel58
- Weakfish57
- Black drum53
- Black sea bass53
- Red snapper53
- Spotted seatrout51
- Gray triggerfish50
- Little tunny50
- Red grouper50
- Florida pompano49
- Spanish mackerel49
- Cobia47
- Sheepshead47
- Greater amberjack44
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi38
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish30
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 493 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hooker 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 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
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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
Hooker Cove
- Depth
- 4-15 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 Hooker Cove
Hooker Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and common snook, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, black sea bass and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Baker Point70
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
3 kt SSEH 5:45 AM · 3.3 ftL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ft
- Steele Point68
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic croaker 65
3 kt SSEH 7:18 AM · 1.3 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.1 ft
- Sewall Point68
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic croaker 65
3 kt SSEH 7:18 AM · 1.3 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.1 ft
- Hoggs Cove62
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
- Common snook 61
3 kt SSEH 8:23 AM · 1.3 ftL 2:50 PM · 0.1 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.