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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout64
- Red drum63
- Florida pompano61
- Common snook54
- Black drum52
- Spanish mackerel49
- Gray snapper44
- King mackerel43
- Gray triggerfish40
- Red grouper40
- Sheepshead40
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 7 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4310 PM EST
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hells Half Acre 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
Sunday, Nov 8 · 3 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
93Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 3 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
52Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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 · 3 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hells Half Acre
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Hells Half Acre
Hells Half Acre is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, red drum and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, gray snapper and king mackerel. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November.
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
- Bishop Harbor67
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 67
- Spotted seatrout 61
- Common snook 59
5 kt ESEL 3:24 AM · 1.1 ftH 9:31 AM · 2.0 ft
- Southeast Head64
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 64
- Red drum 63
- Florida pompano 62
5 kt ESEL 3:24 AM · 1.1 ftH 9:31 AM · 2.0 ft
- Clambar Bay64
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 64
- Red drum 63
- Florida pompano 62
5 kt ESEL 3:24 AM · 1.1 ftH 9:31 AM · 2.0 ft
- Piney Point62
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 62
- Spotted seatrout 56
- Common snook 55
6 kt EL 3:24 AM · 1.1 ftH 9:31 AM · 2.0 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.