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Summer 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
- Atlantic tarpon76
- Atlantic croaker72
- Spot70
- Red drum69
- Crevalle jack68
- Gray snapper65
- Southern flounder64
- Summer flounder63
- King mackerel61
- Florida pompano60
- Weakfish58
- Spanish mackerel57
- Spotted seatrout56
- Red snapper55
- Black drum54
- Black sea bass53
- Gray triggerfish52
- Little tunny52
- Red grouper51
- Cobia50
- Greater amberjack48
- Sheepshead48
- Mahi-mahi39
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Wahoo34
- Sailfish30
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 10 AM · Summer flounder
- Now
- 633 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3 AM-12 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
5Water temp: 85°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Summer flounder
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Summer 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)
- 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)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Summer flounder is best here
Peak season for Summer flounder · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Chicopit Bay
- Depth
- 8-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonSummer 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 Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, Spanish mackerel and red snapper. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Summer flounder
- Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Training Wall Reach81
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 81
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Gray snapper 73
3 kt NNEH 7:12 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ft
- Mile Point Lower Range and Turn80
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 80
- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
3 kt NNEH 7:12 AM · 4.0 ftL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ft
- Sherman Cut Range78
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 78
- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 73
3 kt NNEH 6:47 AM · 4.7 ftL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ft
- Mayport Cut Range77
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Gray snapper 69
3 kt NNEH 6:47 AM · 4.7 ftL 12:39 PM · 1.0 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.