Waterlands

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Red snapperCheck regulations

Bay · Florida

Fort George Inlet

30.42°N · 81.41°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 10 AM · Red snapper

81/100Great
Now
515 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding5.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score51Good
Tide5.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward N
Wind11 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy100% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Red snapper

Check regulations

No limits are on file for this species here. FWC pages disagree. The snapper page lists Atlantic red snapper in state waters as open with a 20-inch minimum and 2 per person. The Atlantic red snapper season page says the 2026 season (May 22 to June 20 and three October weekends, 1 fish, no minimum size) is temporarily postponed, and Executive Order 26-16 rescinded the 2026 Atlantic red snapper order. Check with FWC before keeping one. Check with FWC before you keep one.

From FWC Atlantic Recreational Red Snapper State Management Season, 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))
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in Florida

Spot profile

Fort George Inlet

Depth
1-6 ftNearest water
Structure
Inlet · Inner · ProtectedInlet · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonRed snapper

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, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Red snapper
Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Saint Johns Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • King mackerel 68
    • Florida pompano 65

    11 kt NEH 6:52 PM · 5.5 ftL 1:00 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Deep Creek

    Gut · 2.1 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • King mackerel 66
    • Florida pompano 65

    11 kt NEH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:58 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Mayport Cut Range

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • King mackerel 67
    • Gray snapper 65

    11 kt NEH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ftL 1:13 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Fort George River

    Gut · 1.7 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • King mackerel 61

    11 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.