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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Red drum68
- Common snook65
- Southern flounder64
- Gray snapper61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Gag grouper59
- Crevalle jack58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Black drum54
- Spanish mackerel54
- Spotted seatrout54
- King mackerel53
- Permit53
- Cobia52
- Florida pompano52
- Greater amberjack50
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 537 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Little McPherson 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 90°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 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)
- 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)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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 King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Little McPherson Bayou
- Depth
- 2-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Little McPherson Bayou
Little McPherson Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, Atlantic tarpon, gag grouper and crevalle jack. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- Mud Key Cutoff70
Channel · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 70
- Atlantic tarpon 68
3 kt NEH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ftL 4:14 AM · 1.4 ft
- Pass-a-Grille Channel70
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ftL 4:55 AM · 1.2 ft
- McPherson Bayou68
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Common snook 65
3 kt NEH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ftL 4:14 AM · 1.4 ft
- Wake Porter Fish Havens64
Bar · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 64
- Atlantic croaker 60
- Red drum 60
3 kt NEH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ftL 4:55 AM · 1.2 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.