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Spanish mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum75
- Atlantic croaker71
- Gray snapper69
- Common snook68
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Black drum60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Crevalle jack59
- Permit57
- Southern flounder57
- Spanish mackerel55
- Gag grouper54
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Red snapper52
- Florida pompano51
- King mackerel51
- Cobia48
- Greater amberjack48
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 556 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 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
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
49Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
South Channel
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 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 red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and common snook, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, spotted seatrout and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Pass-a-Grille South Channel75
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 69
6 kt ENEH 5:26 AM · 2.0 ftL 2:54 PM · 0.4 ft
- Dents Channel75
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 69
6 kt ENEH 5:26 AM · 2.0 ftL 2:54 PM · 0.4 ft
- North Channel75
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 69
6 kt ENEH 5:26 AM · 2.0 ftL 2:54 PM · 0.4 ft
- Pass-a-Grille North Channel75
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 69
6 kt ENEH 5:26 AM · 2.0 ftL 2:54 PM · 0.4 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.