Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelRetention open

Bar · Florida

Chester Shoal

28.59°N · 80.54°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 8 PM · Spanish mackerel

74/100Great
Now
466 AM EDT
Best window
2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High3.9 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Thu · 76

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score46Good
Tide3.9 ftHigh
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward N
Wind0 kn WNWgusts 2 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 8 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherOvercast88% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Catch & release (No retention)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • 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 (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (2 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spanish mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Chester Shoal

Depth
20-25 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · 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 Chester Shoal

Chester Shoal is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 20-25 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, common snook and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and mahi-mahi. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.

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.
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.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Jack Davis Cut

    Channel · 4.4 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 71
    • Common snook 60

    0 kt WNWL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft

  • Pintail Creek

    Bay · 4.1 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 58

    0 kt WNWL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft

  • Bluebill Creek

    Bay · 4.3 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Spot 70
    • Southern flounder 58

    0 kt WNWL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft

  • False Cape

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Spot 64
    • Common snook 55

    0 kt WNWL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft

Open in the tide map

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.