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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Atlantic croaker57
- Common snook57
- Gray snapper56
- Red drum56
- Permit51
- Southern flounder51
- Black drum48
- Crevalle jack48
- Gag grouper45
- Spanish mackerel45
- King mackerel43
- Red snapper43
- Gray triggerfish42
- Greater amberjack42
- Red grouper42
- Spotted seatrout39
- Cobia38
- Florida pompano37
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 435 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.1 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mullet Key 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
44Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 1 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 89°F, hotLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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
Mullet Key Channel
- Depth
- 30-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · 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 Mullet Key Channel
Mullet Key Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 30-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and black drum. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. 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 tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Soldier Hole59
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 59
- Gray snapper 55
- Red drum 55
1 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ftL 4:08 AM · 1.0 ft
- Mullet Key Bayou57
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Atlantic croaker 54
- Common snook 53
2 kt WNWH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ftL 4:08 AM · 1.0 ft
- De Soto Point54
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 54
- Red drum 51
- Atlantic tarpon 51
1 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ftL 4:08 AM · 1.0 ft
- Mullet Key Shoal53
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 53
- Red drum 51
- Atlantic tarpon 51
1 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ftL 4:08 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.