Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Spanish mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Long Point

30.24°N · 85.76°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

75/100Great
Now
644 PM CST
Best window
5-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.2 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Long Point scores 75+

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

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 11 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score71Great
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward N
Wind3 kn NEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 5 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy75% cloud
Water73°FModel

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

Long Point

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Long Point

Long Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

  • 73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Spotted seatrout 69
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    6 kt ENEH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Harrison Bayou

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Spotted seatrout 69
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    6 kt ENEH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 0.4 ft

  • West Bay

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Spanish mackerel 68

    6 kt ENEH 3:35 AM · 1.5 ftL 2:01 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    6 kt ENEH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:56 PM · 0.4 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.