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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 3 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 439 AM CDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-6 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Palmetto Point scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
26Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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 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)
- 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)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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 King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Palmetto Point
- Depth
- 2-10 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Palmetto Point
Palmetto Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Florida pompano and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and gag grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Smack Bayou73
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 64
- Southern flounder 58
6 kt ENEL 5:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:36 AM · 1.5 ft
- Bunkers Cove73
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 62
- Florida pompano 61
6 kt ENEL 5:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:36 AM · 1.5 ft
- Lake Van Vac73
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 62
- Florida pompano 61
6 kt ENEL 5:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:36 AM · 1.5 ft
- Town Point67
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Florida pompano 57
- Red drum 57
6 kt ENEL 5:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:36 AM · 1.5 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.