Waterlands

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BluefishRetention open

Channel · Florida

City Front Reach

30.67°N · 81.47°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 4 AM · Bluefish

79/100Great
Now
3512 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward ENE
Wind9 kn NEgusts 20 · steady
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherOvercast93% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Bluefish

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 12 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Hook and line, spears, gigs, seine or cast net.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Bluefish, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 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)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Bluefish is best here

Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

Bluefish season by week of the year. Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in Florida →

Spot profile

City Front Reach

Depth
15-25 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
Season
Off seasonBluefish

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 City Front Reach

City Front Reach is a channel in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 15-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano, black drum and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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.
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

View all on map →
  • Seaboard Reach

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 66

    9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft

  • Rayonier Reach

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft

  • Old Town Reach

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 66

    9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft

  • Saint Marys Entrance

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    66
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 66
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Gray snapper 61

    9 kt NEL 12:39 PM · 1.1 ftH 6:41 PM · 6.4 ft

Open in the tide map

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.