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Spanish mackerelRetention openBar · Florida
Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef
28.32°N · 80.55°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper71
- Atlantic croaker68
- Atlantic tarpon68
- King mackerel66
- Red snapper65
- Common snook63
- Summer flounder63
- Gray triggerfish62
- Red drum62
- Black sea bass61
- Crevalle jack61
- Red grouper61
- Spot60
- Black drum59
- Southern flounder57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Greater amberjack56
- Sheepshead54
- Florida pompano52
- Weakfish51
- Cobia50
- Little tunny50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Mahi-mahi46
- Wahoo43
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 573 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
90Wind: 2 kt SSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 83°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade 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 (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)
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef
- Depth
- 40-45 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · 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 Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef
Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 40-45 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for gray snapper, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and king mackerel, and shoulder season for red snapper, gray triggerfish, black sea bass and red grouper. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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.
- 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
- Shortys Pocket74
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Common snook 70
2 kt SSWH 5:40 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ft
- Sprig Point73
Cape · 4.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Red drum 72
- Southern flounder 71
2 kt SSWH 5:40 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ft
- Shortys Banks70
Bar · 4.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 68
2 kt SSWH 5:40 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ft
- Shell Point70
Cape · 5.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Atlantic tarpon 68
2 kt SSWH 5:44 AM · 3.4 ftL 11:48 AM · 0.9 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.