Waterlands

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Little tunnyShoulder season

Gut · Florida

Deep Creek

30.42°N · 81.45°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 AM · Little tunny

82/100Great
Now
544 AM EDT
Best window
4-9 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.5 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: Mon · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score54Good
Tide2.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward SSW
Wind3 kn Ngusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 6 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherClear19% cloud
Water85°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with FWC before you keep a fish.

Species rules 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)
  • 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Little tunny is best here

Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder

Little tunny season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Little tunny in Florida →

Spot profile

Deep Creek

Depth
4-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonLittle tunny

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 Deep Creek

Deep Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, 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 black drum, weakfish, Florida pompano and black sea bass. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
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

View all on map →
  • Hannah Mills Creek

    Gut · 1.4 mi

    80
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 80
    • Atlantic croaker 77
    • Southern flounder 74

    3 kt NH 7:22 AM · 4.4 ftL 1:24 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Mayport Cut Range

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    80
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 80
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Gray snapper 72

    3 kt NH 6:47 AM · 4.7 ftL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Fort George River

    Gut · 2.1 mi

    78
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 78
    • Atlantic tarpon 78
    • Spot 73

    3 kt NH 6:56 AM · 4.8 ftL 1:15 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Horseshoe Creek

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 75
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Southern flounder 71

    3 kt NH 6:56 AM · 4.8 ftL 1:15 PM · 0.9 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.