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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum71
- Spotted seatrout70
- Black drum59
- Common snook59
- Spanish mackerel55
- Florida pompano50
- Gray snapper49
- King mackerel48
- Sheepshead47
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red grouper46
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4812 AM EST
- Best window
- 5-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.6 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
90Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt NEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
47Season: 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 yesterday
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 red drum, spotted seatrout and black drum. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for black drum, common snook, gray snapper and king mackerel. Red drum peak from September through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Black drum peak from February through April.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Southeast Head71
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Spotted seatrout 70
- Black drum 60
9 kt EL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ftH 8:00 AM · 2.1 ft
- Clambar Bay71
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Spotted seatrout 70
- Black drum 60
9 kt EL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ftH 8:00 AM · 2.1 ft
- Bishop Harbor67
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 67
- Common snook 64
- Spanish mackerel 63
9 kt EL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ftH 8:00 AM · 2.1 ft
- Piney Point62
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Spotted seatrout 62
- Common snook 59
9 kt EL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ftH 8:00 AM · 2.1 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.