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Red snapperCheck regulationsBay · Florida
Chicopit Bay
30.38°N · 81.46°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot73
- Florida pompano71
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Crevalle jack65
- Red drum63
- King mackerel61
- Summer flounder61
- Gray snapper58
- Southern flounder57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Weakfish52
- Little tunny51
- Spotted seatrout50
- Cobia47
- Black sea bass46
- Black drum45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Mahi-mahi45
- Red snapper45
- Red grouper44
- Greater amberjack43
- Wahoo41
- Sheepshead40
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 5 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 457 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High4.0 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chicopit Bay 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.9 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
46Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Check regulations
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Red snapper
Check regulationsNo limits are on file for this species here. FWC pages disagree. The snapper page lists Atlantic red snapper in state waters as open with a 20-inch minimum and 2 per person. The Atlantic red snapper season page says the 2026 season (May 22 to June 20 and three October weekends, 1 fish, no minimum size) is temporarily postponed, and Executive Order 26-16 rescinded the 2026 Atlantic red snapper order. Check with FWC before keeping one. Check with FWC before you keep one.
From FWC Atlantic Recreational Red Snapper State Management Season, 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish 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 (50 per day)
- 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 Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Chicopit Bay
- Depth
- 8-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed snapper
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 Chicopit Bay
Chicopit Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 8-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, weakfish and little tunny. 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
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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
- Mile Point Lower Range and Turn81
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 76
- Florida pompano 73
6 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft
- Training Wall Reach79
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 65
6 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft
- Sherman Cut Range79
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 74
- Florida pompano 73
6 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft
- Mayport Cut Range79
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Spot 70
6 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 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.
