Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Lands End

30.08°N · 85.65°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

75/100Great
Now
584 PM CST
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.3 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score63Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward WSW
Wind8 kn SEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast57% chance of rain
Water74°FBias corrected

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 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)
  • 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 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)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 2 more weeks at peak

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 2 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Lands End

Depth
1-20 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Peak 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 Lands End

Lands End is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth is 1-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, spotted seatrout and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black drum, gray triggerfish and red grouper. Red drum peak from September through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October 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.
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.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Smack Bayou

    Bay · 3.6 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Spotted seatrout 68
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    6 kt ENEH 3:59 AM · 1.4 ftL 1:51 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Fred Bayou

    Bay · 3.7 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Florida pompano 59

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

  • Palmetto Point

    Cape · 3.0 mi

    65
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 65
    • Red drum 65
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    10 kt EH 3:59 AM · 1.4 ftL 1:51 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Military Point

    Cape · 3.5 mi

    63
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 63
    • Spotted seatrout 61
    • Spanish mackerel 60

    8 kt EH 5:20 AM · 1.6 ftL 4:08 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.