Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

King mackerelRetention open

Bay · Florida

Wildcat Cove

27.49°N · 80.31°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

80/100Great
Now
6611 AM EDT
Best window
2-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Wildcat Cove scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score66Great
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb2.5 kn · toward E
Wind1 kn Sgusts 7 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 7 s
Air temp84°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy80% cloud
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

King mackerel

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 24 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Hook and line and spearing only. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: King 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)
  • 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)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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 King mackerel is best here

Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak

King mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Wildcat Cove

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonKing 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 Wildcat Cove

Wildcat Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, common snook and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, common snook, Atlantic tarpon and summer flounder, and shoulder season for little tunny, weakfish, Spanish mackerel and cobia. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
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.
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

View all on map →
  • Saint Lucie Cut

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    82
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 82
    • Common snook 79
    • Crevalle jack 78

    1 kt SL 1:12 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:44 PM · 1.7 ft

  • Fort Pierce Cut

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    81
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 81
    • Common snook 78
    • Crevalle jack 76

    1 kt SL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Shortys Slough

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    76
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 76
    • Atlantic tarpon 73
    • Common snook 72

    1 kt SL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Tucker Cove

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    74
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 74
    • Common snook 73
    • Atlantic tarpon 70

    1 kt SL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 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.