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Little tunnyShoulder seasonCape · Florida
French Cape
29.91°N · 81.28°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Spot72
- Florida pompano70
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Crevalle jack69
- King mackerel69
- Red drum65
- Gray snapper61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Summer flounder59
- Gray triggerfish56
- Black sea bass55
- Little tunny55
- Red snapper55
- Red grouper54
- Mahi-mahi53
- Southern flounder53
- Black drum51
- Cobia50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Greater amberjack49
- Sheepshead49
- Weakfish47
- Wahoo46
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 556 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when French Cape 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
53Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 83°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.5 ftSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
77Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Little tunny is best here
Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
French Cape
- Depth
- 5-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · slope
- 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 French Cape
French Cape is a cape in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
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, gray triggerfish and black sea bass. 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
- 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 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
- Saint Augustine Inlet78
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 72
6 kt NNEH 7:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- Vilano Point74
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Spot 72
- Florida pompano 70
6 kt NNEH 7:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- Devils Elbow74
Bend · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Crevalle jack 74
- King mackerel 72
9 kt NEH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ftL 2:22 AM · 0.9 ft
- Murat Point73
Cape · 9.5 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 73
- Atlantic croaker 71
- King mackerel 71
9 kt NEH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ftL 2:22 AM · 0.9 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.