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King mackerelRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4610 AM CDT
- Best window
- 5-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when John Bayou 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
51Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
John Bayou
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 John Bayou
John Bayou is a bay in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and southern flounder. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, crevalle jack, Florida pompano and gag grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Southern flounder peak from October through November.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Ward Cove69
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Gray snapper 62
- Red drum 62
6 kt ENEH 11:41 AM · 0.8 ftL 1:45 AM · 0.5 ft
- Shirk Bayou68
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Red drum 64
- Southern flounder 59
6 kt ENEH 11:41 AM · 0.8 ftL 12:40 AM · 0.5 ft
- Shirk Point62
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Gray snapper 57
- Red drum 57
6 kt ENEH 11:41 AM · 0.8 ftL 1:45 AM · 0.5 ft
- Boggy Point62
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Gray snapper 57
- Red drum 57
6 kt ENEH 11:41 AM · 0.8 ftL 12:40 AM · 0.5 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.