Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Sulphur Point

30.19°N · 85.74°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

77/100Great
Now
679 AM CST
Best window
4-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 11 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score66Great
Tide0.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward ESE
Wind3 kn NEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 5 s
Air temp44°Cold
WeatherClear11% cloud
Water73°FModel

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

Sulphur Point

Depth
7-40 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Sulphur Point

Sulphur Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 7-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Posten Bayou

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    79
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 79
    • Spotted seatrout 77
    • Spanish mackerel 71

    9 kt ENEL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Pretty Bayou

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    77
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 77
    • Spotted seatrout 74
    • Spanish mackerel 71

    9 kt ENEL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Dyers Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    71
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 71
    • Red drum 70
    • Spotted seatrout 69

    9 kt ENEL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    68
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 68
    • Red drum 67
    • Spotted seatrout 66

    9 kt ENEL 1:59 PM · 0.1 ftH 3:13 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.