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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout81
- Red drum80
- Spanish mackerel80
- Florida pompano77
- Common snook75
- Black drum73
- King mackerel70
- Sheepshead68
- Gray snapper67
- Gray triggerfish62
- Red grouper62
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 807 PM EST
- Best window
- 7-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Miguel Pass 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 4 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
76Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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 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)
- 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 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)
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 2 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Big Miguel Pass
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · Semi-exposedPass · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Big Miguel Pass
Big Miguel Pass is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, red drum and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, king mackerel and sheepshead. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Critical Bayou83
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 83
- Spotted seatrout 82
- Florida pompano 71
9 kt EH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:26 AM · 1.3 ft
- Custer Bayou83
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 83
- Spotted seatrout 82
- Black drum 70
9 kt EH 10:07 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ft
- Miguel Bay79
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 79
- Spotted seatrout 79
- Florida pompano 75
9 kt EH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:26 AM · 1.3 ft
- Fletcher Point74
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Spotted seatrout 74
- Spanish mackerel 71
9 kt EH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:26 AM · 1.3 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.