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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook65
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Atlantic croaker62
- Red drum61
- Gray snapper59
- Permit55
- Black drum54
- Southern flounder54
- Crevalle jack51
- Spanish mackerel49
- Spotted seatrout49
- Gag grouper48
- Florida pompano46
- King mackerel46
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red grouper45
- Red snapper45
- Cobia41
- Greater amberjack41
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 10 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 466 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
50Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 1 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 89°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
52Season: 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
South Channel
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 South Channel
South Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, black drum and southern flounder. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Pass-a-Grille South Channel65
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
1 kt NH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ftL 4:55 AM · 1.2 ft
- Dents Channel65
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
1 kt NH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ftL 4:55 AM · 1.2 ft
- North Channel65
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
1 kt NH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ftL 4:55 AM · 1.2 ft
- Pass-a-Grille North Channel65
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
1 kt NH 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.