Waterlands

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Southern flounderRetention 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 · Southern flounder

79/100Great
Now
537 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High6.7 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score53Good
Tide6.7 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward WSW
Wind11 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy43% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Southern flounder is best here

Peak season for Southern flounder · 8 more weeks at peak

Southern flounder season by week of the year. Peak season for Southern flounder · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Southern flounder in Florida

Spot profile

City Front Reach

Depth
15-25 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 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 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, black sea bass and black drum. 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

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.
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

  • Seaboard Reach

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spot 71
    • Florida pompano 68

    11 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:34 AM · 6.4 ft

  • Rayonier Reach

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spot 71
    • Florida pompano 67

    11 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:34 AM · 6.4 ft

  • Old Town Reach

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Spot 71
    • Florida pompano 69

    11 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:34 AM · 6.4 ft

  • Saint Marys Entrance

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    58
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 58
    • Crevalle jack 55
    • King mackerel 52

    11 kt NEL 1:18 AM · 1.1 ftH 6:58 AM · 6.2 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.