Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Cedar Point

30.09°N · 85.56°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

74/100Great
Now
484 AM CST
Best window
6-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score48Good
Tide1.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water73°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

King mackerel

Retention open
Daily limit
3 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
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 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 (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Red snapper Closed (No retention)
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 3 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Cedar Point

Depth
1-9 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder 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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 1-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, red drum and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, red drum, spotted seatrout and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black drum, king mackerel, gray snapper and sheepshead. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November.

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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • East Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    66
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 66
    • Red drum 62
    • Spotted seatrout 62

    10 kt ENEH 4:57 AM · 1.5 ftL 2:41 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Fred Bayou

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Florida pompano 62
    • Spotted seatrout 62

    10 kt ENEH 5:20 AM · 1.6 ftL 4:08 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Callaway Bayou

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    63
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 63
    • Florida pompano 62
    • Spotted seatrout 60

    10 kt ENEH 4:57 AM · 1.5 ftL 2:41 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Smith Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    62
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 62
    • Red drum 56
    • Spotted seatrout 55

    10 kt ENEH 4:57 AM · 1.5 ftL 2:41 PM · 0.5 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.