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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout66
- Red drum62
- Common snook57
- Florida pompano56
- Black drum55
- Spanish mackerel55
- King mackerel51
- Gray snapper49
- Sheepshead49
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red grouper46
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Cobia33
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 514 PM EST
- Best window
- 6-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Garrison 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
Tuesday, Nov 3 · 8 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
59Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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 today
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
Garrison Channel
- Depth
- Up to 35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- 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 Garrison Channel
Garrison Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, red drum and common snook. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, king mackerel and gray snapper. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- 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
- Ybor Channel72
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 72
- Red drum 68
- Common snook 63
8 kt ENEH 10:19 PM · 2.3 ftL 3:22 AM · 1.3 ft
- Seddon Channel72
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 72
- Red drum 69
- Common snook 63
8 kt ENEH 10:18 PM · 2.3 ftL 3:14 AM · 1.4 ft
- Sparkman Channel69
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 69
- Red drum 68
- Common snook 63
8 kt ENEH 10:19 PM · 2.3 ftL 3:22 AM · 1.3 ft
- Hillsboro River Channel (historical)66
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 66
- Red drum 62
- Common snook 57
8 kt ENEH 11:16 PM · 2.1 ftL 3:53 AM · 1.0 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.