What's Biting FL
Florida Keys

King Mackerel in Florida Keys

King Mackerel
Scomberomorus cavalla · Photo: NOAA's Fisheries Collection , SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi , Public domain

Slow troll live baits or spoons along reefs, wrecks and bait schools in 30 to 120 feet. Spring and fall runs along both coasts.

Next three days

DayBiteWhy
Sun, Sep 137New Moon feeding boost. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky. Weak tides
Mon, Sep 146Heat, fish early or late. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky. Weak tides
Tue, Sep 156Heat, fish early or late. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky

Seasonal pattern

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Editorial baseline for Florida. Green months are prime, yellow fair, red slow. Preferred water temperature 68–80°F.

Regulations that apply here

Applies to: state and adjacent federal waters

Species / zoneSeasonSizeBagNotes
King Mackerel
Atlantic State Waters (excludes Monroe County)
boundaryexcludes Monroe County
open now
Open year-round
24" fork length2 per harvesterLegal Gear: hook and line and spearing only

Source: FWC, extracted 2026-09-12. Review flags: The page mentions 'Gulf Federal Regulations' and 'Atlantic Federal Regulations' as links but does not provide the specific regulatory text for federal waters, so those rules are not extracted.

See all King Mackerel rules statewide.