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Southern flounderRetention openBay · 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
- Crevalle jack64
- King mackerel61
- Red drum61
- Summer flounder61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Florida pompano60
- Gray snapper55
- Atlantic croaker54
- Spanish mackerel54
- Southern flounder52
- Spot52
- Cobia48
- Weakfish48
- Little tunny46
- Spotted seatrout46
- Greater amberjack45
- Black sea bass42
- Gray triggerfish41
- Mahi-mahi40
- Red grouper40
- Black drum39
- Red snapper39
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Sheepshead35
- Wahoo35
- Yellowfin tuna32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 10 AM · Southern flounder
- Now
- 522 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
75Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
52Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
32Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Southern flounder
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Southern flounder
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 15
- Other
- Same rules for Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder, in state and federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed every October 15 through November 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Flounder, 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))
- Red snapper Check regulations
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Southern flounder is best here
Peak season for Southern flounder · 8 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Chicopit Bay
- Depth
- 8-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonSouthern flounder
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 crevalle jack, king mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, cobia and weakfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Southern flounder
- Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sherman Cut Range67
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 67
- Summer flounder 65
- King mackerel 64
10 kt NEH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:13 AM · 0.9 ft
- Mile Point Lower Range and Turn64
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- King mackerel 64
- Summer flounder 62
10 kt NEH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:44 AM · 0.7 ft
- Training Wall Reach64
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- Summer flounder 63
- Atlantic croaker 61
10 kt NEH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ftL 1:44 AM · 0.7 ft
- Mayport Cut Range64
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Crevalle jack 64
- Summer flounder 62
10 kt NEH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:13 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.