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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout60
- Florida pompano59
- Red drum58
- Spanish mackerel57
- Common snook55
- Black drum50
- King mackerel49
- Sheepshead48
- Gray snapper47
- Gray triggerfish44
- Red grouper44
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit34
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 493 PM EST
- Best window
- 5-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Bend 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
81Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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 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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Big Bend
- Depth
- 1-4 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 Big Bend
Big Bend is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, Florida pompano and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, Florida pompano, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, king mackerel and sheepshead. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. 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.
- 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.
- 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
- The Kitchen70
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 70
- Red drum 69
- Spanish mackerel 59
9 kt EL 3:57 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:42 PM · 1.9 ft
- Alafia River Channel69
Channel · 3.0 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 69
- Red drum 65
- Common snook 62
9 kt EL 3:57 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:42 PM · 1.9 ft
- South Channel69
Bay · 3.9 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 69
- Red drum 65
- Common snook 62
9 kt EL 3:57 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:42 PM · 1.9 ft
- Big Bend Channel68
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 68
- Red drum 65
- Common snook 61
9 kt EH 11:37 PM · 1.9 ftL 3:30 AM · 1.7 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.