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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all69
- Spanish mackerel69
- Common snook68
- Spotted seatrout68
- Red drum67
- King mackerel63
- Black drum61
- Gray snapper59
- Gray triggerfish59
- Red grouper59
- Sheepshead59
- Florida pompano56
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Red drum
- Now
- 699 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Emerson Point 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
Tuesday, Nov 10 · 1 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
81Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Emerson Point
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Emerson Point
Emerson Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, common snook and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout, red drum and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and gray snapper. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Spotted seatrout peak from March 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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Clambar Bayou73
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Spotted seatrout 72
- Spanish mackerel 69
9 kt ENEL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ftH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ft
- Champlain Bayou73
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Spotted seatrout 72
- Spanish mackerel 69
9 kt ENEL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ftH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ft
- Bishop Point69
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 69
- Common snook 68
- Spotted seatrout 68
7 kt ENEL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ftH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ft
- Terra Ceia Point69
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 69
- Common snook 68
- Spotted seatrout 68
7 kt ENEL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ftH 9:17 PM · 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.