Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

King mackerelRetention open

Cape · Florida

Buccaroo Point

30.46°N · 86.50°W · Cape · Western Choctawhatchee Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel

70/100Great
Now
536 PM CDT
Best window
6-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Buccaroo Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score55Good
Tide0.4 ft ▲Flooding
Wind7 kn Sgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water86°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

King mackerel in Florida

Spot profile

Buccaroo Point

Depth
2-6 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Buccaroo Point

Buccaroo Point is a cape in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gag grouper, crevalle jack and red snapper. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June 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.
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

  • Shirk Bayou

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Gray snapper 67

    3 kt SEL 9:50 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:02 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Boggy Bayou

    Bay · 2.9 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Gray snapper 67

    3 kt SEL 9:50 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:02 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Boggy Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Gray snapper 67

    3 kt SEL 9:50 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:02 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Shirk Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Gray snapper 67

    3 kt SEL 10:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:41 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.