Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

High Point

30.30°N · 85.58°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel

68/100Great
Now
4812 AM CDT
Best window
5-11 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score48Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind1 kn ESEgusts 4 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 5 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast93% cloud
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier 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
  • 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • 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 Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 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 · 1 more week at shoulder

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Florida

Spot profile

High Point

Depth
3-6 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 High Point

High Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 3-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, gag grouper and permit. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November.

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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Hodges Bayou

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 64

    1 kt ESEH 7:29 AM · 1.9 ftL 6:02 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Williams Bayou

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 63

    1 kt ESEH 7:29 AM · 1.9 ftL 6:02 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Deer Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Gray snapper 63
    • Red drum 60

    1 kt ESEH 7:29 AM · 1.9 ftL 6:02 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Burnt Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    61
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 61
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Red drum 59

    1 kt ESEH 7:29 AM · 1.9 ftL 6:02 PM · 0.6 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.