UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black sea bassShoulder seasonBay · Florida
Fort George Inlet
30.42°N · 81.41°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack65
- Summer flounder62
- King mackerel60
- Florida pompano59
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Red drum57
- Spanish mackerel56
- Gray snapper52
- Southern flounder51
- Atlantic croaker49
- Little tunny47
- Spot47
- Weakfish46
- Cobia45
- Wahoo45
- Greater amberjack43
- Mahi-mahi42
- Black sea bass41
- Gray triggerfish39
- Red grouper38
- Red snapper38
- Spotted seatrout38
- Black drum35
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sheepshead32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 411 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2-6 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Fort George Inlet 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
27Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.7 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 84°F, hotLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.5 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
No rule for Black sea bass 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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Fort George Inlet
- Depth
- 1-6 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Inlet · Inner · ProtectedInlet · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Fort George Inlet
Fort George Inlet is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, summer flounder and king mackerel. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, summer flounder, king mackerel and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and weakfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Summer flounder peak from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Saint Johns Point62
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 62
- King mackerel 62
- Florida pompano 59
10 kt NEH 6:52 PM · 5.5 ftL 1:00 AM · 1.0 ft
- Deep Creek60
Gut · 2.1 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 60
- Red drum 57
- Gray snapper 56
10 kt NEH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:58 AM · 1.0 ft
- Mayport Cut Range60
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 60
- King mackerel 56
- Summer flounder 56
10 kt NEH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:13 AM · 0.9 ft
- Fort George River53
Gut · 1.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 53
- Atlantic croaker 52
- Summer flounder 50
10 kt NEH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.8 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.