Waterlands

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King mackerelRetention open

Bay · Florida

Shortys Pocket

28.30°N · 80.61°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel

79/100Great
Now
5612 PM EDT
Best window
2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.9 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: today · 79

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score56Good
Tide0.9 ftLow
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind5 kn NNEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 8 s
Air temp82°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy69% chance of rain
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

King mackerel

Retention open
Daily limit
2 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 (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)
  • 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)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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 today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Peak season for King mackerel · 5 more weeks at peak

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

King mackerel in Florida →

Spot profile

Shortys Pocket

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Shortys Pocket

Shortys Pocket is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, crevalle jack and spot, and shoulder season for mahi-mahi, wahoo, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July 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 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Sprig Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    62
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Red drum 61
    • Southern flounder 60

    5 kt NNEH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Indian River Lagoon

    Bay · 2.6 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Common snook 59
    • Crevalle jack 59

    5 kt NNEH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Shortys Banks

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    59
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 59
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • King mackerel 56

    5 kt NNEH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Buck Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    59
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 59
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • King mackerel 56

    5 kt NNEH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:26 AM · 1.0 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.