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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Common snook65
- Gray snapper65
- Red drum63
- Permit60
- Southern flounder59
- Black drum57
- Crevalle jack57
- Gag grouper55
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Red snapper51
- Spotted seatrout51
- Greater amberjack50
- King mackerel50
- Cobia46
- Florida pompano39
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 524 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cockroach Channel 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
78Wind: 0 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 89°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cockroach Channel
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- 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 Cockroach Channel
Cockroach Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Big Cockroach Pass68
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Atlantic tarpon 66
0 kt NL 7:21 PM · 0.2 ftH 1:23 AM · 1.4 ft
- Beacon Pass68
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
0 kt NL 7:21 PM · 0.2 ftH 1:23 AM · 1.4 ft
- Hole in the Wall Pass68
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Atlantic tarpon 66
0 kt NL 7:21 PM · 0.2 ftH 1:23 AM · 1.4 ft
- South Stop67
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Permit 62
0 kt NL 7:21 PM · 0.2 ftH 1:23 AM · 1.4 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.