Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Gut · Florida

Fort George River

30.44°N · 81.42°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

81/100Great
Now
7610 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.9 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 · 86

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score76Great
Tide2.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward SSE
Wind8 kn NNEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 5 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy77% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Atlantic croaker

Retention open
Daily limit
50 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
50 per person per species. No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

Fort George River

Depth
1-7 ftNearest water
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic croaker

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 River

Fort George River is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black sea bass, weakfish and black drum. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Fort George Inlet

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    81
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 81
    • Summer flounder 75
    • Atlantic tarpon 74

    8 kt NNEL 12:29 PM · 1.2 ftH 6:41 PM · 6.1 ft

  • Deep Creek

    Gut · 2.1 mi

    78
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 78
    • Gray snapper 75
    • Summer flounder 74

    8 kt NNEL 1:24 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Horseshoe Creek

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    76
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 76
    • Red drum 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73

    8 kt NNEL 1:15 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ft

  • Broward Creek

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    76
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 76
    • Red drum 74
    • Atlantic croaker 73

    8 kt NNEL 12:59 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:21 PM · 5.6 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.