Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Point Anchorage

30.20°N · 85.71°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

83/100Great
Now
561 PM CST
Best window
4-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score59Good
Tide0.9 ftHigh
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward ESE
Wind2 kn SSEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 4 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy58% cloud
Water75°FBias corrected

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 · 4 more weeks at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Point Anchorage

Depth
3-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Point Anchorage

Point Anchorage is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Posten Bayou

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    11 kt EL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Pretty Bayou

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Spotted seatrout 63
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    11 kt EL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Robinson Bayou

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Spotted seatrout 63
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    11 kt EL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Goose Bayou

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Spotted seatrout 64
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    11 kt EL 2:27 PM · 0.2 ftH 4:54 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.