Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Town Point

30.14°N · 85.65°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel

68/100Great
Now
581 PM CDT
Best window
1-5 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score58Good
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward WSW
Wind5 kn ENEgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 7 s
Air temp91°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy51% cloud
Water87°FObserved

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 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)
  • 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 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)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Florida

Spot profile

Town Point

Depth
9-35 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder 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 Town Point

Town Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 9-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, crevalle jack and gag grouper. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.

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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
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

  • Lake Van Vac

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    71
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 71
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Red drum 68

    5 kt ENEL 5:22 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:29 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Bunkers Cove

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    70
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 70
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Red drum 67

    5 kt ENEL 5:22 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:29 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Palmetto Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    68
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 68
    • Red drum 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    3 kt SEL 5:22 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:29 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Bunkers Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    65
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 65
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Red drum 63

    5 kt ENEL 5:22 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:29 AM · 1.6 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.