Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bay · Florida

Kitching Cove

27.25°N · 80.32°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel

76/100Great
Now
577 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-3 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.0 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: Thu · 79

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score57Good
Tide1.0 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NNW
Wind3 kn SWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 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

Kitching Cove

Depth
7-10 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 Kitching Cove

Kitching Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 7-10 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, crevalle jack and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, spot and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for weakfish, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. 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.
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

View all on map →
  • Fork Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    3 kt SWH 9:12 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Greenridge Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    3 kt SWH 9:12 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Pendarvis Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    3 kt SWH 9:12 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Bessey Creek Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    3 kt SWH 9:12 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:09 PM · 0.6 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.