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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper71
- Atlantic croaker70
- Common snook70
- Crevalle jack63
- Red drum62
- Spanish mackerel62
- Southern flounder60
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Black drum59
- Florida pompano58
- Permit58
- Gag grouper57
- King mackerel57
- Cobia54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Red grouper54
- Red snapper53
- Greater amberjack50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 624 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Safety Harbor 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
91Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 2 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
71Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Spanish mackerel
Retention open- Daily limit
- 15 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 12 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Beach or haul seine, cast net, hook and line, or spear. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spanish 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)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 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)
- 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Safety Harbor
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpanish 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 Safety Harbor
Safety Harbor is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for gray snapper, Atlantic croaker, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel, southern flounder and Atlantic tarpon. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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
- Mobbly Bay71
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Permit 67
2 kt WNWL 9:58 PM · 0.2 ftH 4:30 AM · 1.4 ft
- Boat Bayou71
Bay · 2.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Permit 67
2 kt WNWL 9:58 PM · 0.2 ftH 4:30 AM · 1.4 ft
- Philippe Point65
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Gray snapper 65
- Atlantic croaker 63
2 kt WNWL 8:28 PM · 0.2 ftH 3:29 AM · 1.9 ft
- Booth Point65
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Gray snapper 65
- Atlantic croaker 63
2 kt WNWL 9:58 PM · 0.2 ftH 4:30 AM · 1.4 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.