UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelPeak seasonBar · Georgia
Raccoon Key Spit
31.01°N · 81.45°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Florida pompano66
- Crevalle jack60
- Red drum60
- Atlantic tarpon59
- King mackerel55
- Summer flounder54
- Gray snapper51
- Southern flounder51
- Spanish mackerel51
- Little tunny47
- Spotted seatrout47
- Black drum46
- Mahi-mahi46
- Black sea bass44
- Gag grouper42
- Gray triggerfish42
- Red snapper42
- Red grouper41
- Wahoo41
- Cobia39
- Weakfish38
- Greater amberjack37
- Sheepshead37
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
Best score today · 3 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 557 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High6.9 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Raccoon Key Spit 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
14Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.7 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
89Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for King mackerel is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with GADNR CRD before you keep a fish.
Source: GADNR CRD · 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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Raccoon Key Spit
- Depth
- 4-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · 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 Raccoon Key Spit
Raccoon Key Spit is a bar in Coastal waters from Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach FL out 20 NM, Georgia. Depth is 4-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and black drum. 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
- 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.
- 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
- Saint Andrew Sound62
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 62
- Crevalle jack 54
- King mackerel 52
11 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:20 AM · 6.8 ft
- Horseshoe Shoals61
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 61
- Crevalle jack 53
- King mackerel 51
11 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:20 AM · 6.8 ft
- Jekyll Point61
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 61
- Crevalle jack 52
- King mackerel 51
11 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:20 AM · 6.8 ft
- Jekyll Sound61
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season- Florida pompano 61
- Crevalle jack 52
- King mackerel 51
11 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:20 AM · 6.8 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 GADNR CRD before you keep a fish.
