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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum62
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Common snook57
- Atlantic croaker56
- Permit56
- Southern flounder55
- Black drum50
- Gray snapper50
- Crevalle jack48
- Gag grouper47
- Spotted seatrout47
- Spanish mackerel46
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red grouper43
- Red snapper43
- Cobia40
- Florida pompano39
- King mackerel39
- Greater amberjack38
- Sheepshead33
Best score today · 7 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 465 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cross Bayou 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
43Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 2 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
50Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Cross Bayou
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Cross Bayou
Cross Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, common snook, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Devils Elbow68
Channel · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 66
2 kt WNWL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:34 AM · 1.8 ft
- Boca Ciega Bay67
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 67
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Gray snapper 62
2 kt WNWL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:34 AM · 1.8 ft
- Long Bayou57
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Atlantic croaker 55
- Common snook 53
2 kt WNWH 11:38 PM · 1.9 ftL 4:21 AM · 1.4 ft
- Turtlecrawl Point53
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 53
- Atlantic croaker 50
- Red drum 50
2 kt WNWH 11:38 PM · 1.9 ftL 4:21 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.